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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24013807">Escape from the Wizard's Castle</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/PromdynGeorg/pseuds/PromdynGeorg'>PromdynGeorg</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Final Fantasy XV</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Magic, Ardyn the Deals Warlock, M/M, Pining, Sex Magic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 23:41:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>69,576</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24013807</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/PromdynGeorg/pseuds/PromdynGeorg</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A legendary sorcerer grants Prompto's wish to save his prince's life, at the price of forever being the wizard's servant. Ignis comes after him, but he'll have to win a series of magical challenges before they can both escape. Getting out will take guts, resourcefulness, dealing with unacknowledged feelings, and outwitting a wizard who is having far too much fun to let them go.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Prompto Argentum/Ardyn Izunia/Ignis Scientia, Prompto Argentum/Ignis Scientia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>232</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>126</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="center"><p> </p>
<p></p><blockquote><p>
      <em> "That is most of it, being a wizard — seeing and listening." He drew a long breath, suddenly looking away and rubbing his hands together. "The rest is technique."</em>
    </p></blockquote></div><blockquote>
  <p>—<em>The Last Unicorn</em>, Peter S. Beagle</p>
</blockquote><p> </p><p>The immense, iron-banded door looked as though it had stood there in the castle wall for generations, immobile as the stone. It swung open soundlessly at a touch.</p><p>Ignis stepped inside. The interior was utterly dark, and smelled of dust and stone. When the door shut behind him even the moonlight was lost.</p><p>He would not dignify the theatrics by checking to see if it had locked.</p><p>"My, two guests in a few days? My humble abode has become quite the destination."</p><p>Ignis whirled toward the voice with his hand on his dagger.</p><p>"Now, now, no need for that. Here. Let me get the lights."</p><p>Points of fire appeared along the candles that lined the walls in bronze holders. By their light the hall was vast, and Ignis was alone.</p><p>He forced his hand to fall. "I am here to see the master of this castle, if I may."</p><p>Courtesy was the passed-down proscription. It was said that he would not strike outright without reason, though what he would count as reason was poorly defined.</p><p>"Hmm, I see." The voice came from the air by his left ear this time. It had a mockingly refined accent and a lilting, feline playfulness. "Oh, but I'm being a terrible host. Would you like a cup of tea?"</p><p>An impenetrable shadow passed a few feet in front of Ignis and withdrew to reveal a small table with a blue-checked teapot and matching cup resting on a doily.</p><p>"I must decline," Ignis said. "I am here strictly on business."</p><p>"Of course." The voice carried disappointment. The shadow passed before Ignis once again, and the table was gone. "No one ever comes here to exchange pleasantries. They all want something. Well, what is it? Eternal youth? Endless riches? A weapon to destroy your enemies? Envy? Greed? Violence? Control?"</p><p>"I seek no power," Ignis said to the echoes in the empty room. "Only return my comrade, and I will trouble you no longer."</p><p>"Comrade, comrade..." The voice wandered around him. "Oh! My dear, I believe he means you."</p><p>Ignis stepped forward urgently. "Prompto? Are you all right?"</p><p>"Isn't that sweet. He's concerned for your wellbeing. Say hello, Prompto."</p><p>The sound that rang through the hall was a sharp, wordless gasp.</p><p>"Where is he?" Ignis demanded. The time for courtesy was past.</p><p>"Safe and sound in my company." The voice was now underlain with someone else's soft whimpers. "But far be it from me to keep such good friends apart. Take the third door on your left, then you need only cross the room."</p><p>Ignis ran across the hall and shoved open the third door.</p><p>Sunlight blinded him. The air was hot, thick with humidity and redolent with green scents and the perfume of flora. A riot of unnaturally proportioned flowers spread in front of him, carpeting a vast stretch of ground in lurid colors until they disappeared into the shadows of a dense jungle. Above him, the sky was a searing blue. Behind him, the door was gone.</p><p>"I should mention," the voice said, "it's a large room."</p><p>The squelch of the damp soil under Ignis's boots insisted this was no simple illusion. In the distance a stone tower wrapped in thin veins of green rose above the canopy. Ignis suspected his nemesis waited there, with the jungle set between them like a chessboard.</p><p>“You'd best hurry,” the voice said from beside his ear. “I don't know how long the poor boy can hold out.”</p><p>Rapid breaths of distress bloomed in the air around him for a moment, then vanished. Ignis set his eyes on the unknown dangers that awaited him and ran.</p><p>Beneath the trees he was plunged into thick shadow. He forced himself to slow to let his eyes adjust. Blundering headlong into a trap would do Prompto no good. He pushed forward through the dense undergrowth, the broad leaves of birds of paradise brushing his knees like beggars' hands, and did not imagine what sensation could have made Prompto pull in that gasp. He could not afford to be distracted by thoughts of what a man who could make a world within a room could do when he set his mind to cruelty.</p><p>“Iggy...” Prompto's ragged voice was beside him. He pushed his way forward, avoiding stepping on a small frog painted in the beautiful hues of poison. “You, you shouldn't be here...ah!”</p><p>The cry startled a scarlet parrot into the air. Ignis gritted his teeth, sweat clinging to his skin, breathing in thick air and making agonizingly steady progress as Prompto's suffering ticked in the back of his head.</p><p>“Hold on, Prompto,” Ignis said, and pushed through a stand of thin, whippy saplings that left his gloves sticky with sap.</p><p>“He's a marvel to behold, you know,” said the sorcerer's voice. “Such a shame you can't see him.”</p><p>With a hard shove against the trunks, Ignis broke free. His feet landed on sand and the sun dazzled his eyes. He was at the edge of a wide clearing, a perfect circle of flat desert bounded by lush vegetation. It would take only a moment to sprint across, if it weren't for the scorpion the size of a small horse that crouched in the center.</p><p>“But aren't you lucky! With the help of the artifact my little pet guards, you could see every detail for yourself.”</p><p>Along with the sorcerer's voice came a long, low moan.</p><p>Ignis's stomach clenched. It was a taunt and a distraction, and yet, a way to see Prompto meant a way to see where Prompto was being held. In the massive jungle, to 'cross the room' could mean anything at all. The prominent tower could easily be a trick.</p><p>“I must caution you,” said the voice as he weighed his approach, “ if you strike with nothing but that charming little knife, curiosity is certain to kill the catburglar. Perhaps a league to the west lies a spear that can pierce a thick carapace. Don't be alarmed; the beast is bound to its private demesnes, and it will wait patiently. More patiently than Prompto, I assure you.”</p><p>Prompto let out a keening noise.</p><p>Ignis moved.</p><p>He had no time to hunt for treasure and no wish to challenge a stinger that could skewer him like a cube of meat. He skirted the edge of the sandy area until he reached a place in the bordering jungle rich with the enormous birds of paradise. With his knife he cut free a half-dozen leaves, each broad enough to serve as a parasol. He carried them out onto the sand and, as the scorpion turned to regard him but did not yet approach, swiftly arranged them into a low shelter.</p><p>He withdrew into the trees, picked up a stone from the ground, and let it fly.</p><p>It struck the scorpion's shell with a <em>clack</em>.</p><p>The scorpion rushed in his direction, each clublike leg scattering sand. Up close the stinger was a wicked, sun-glistening thing. As it drew close to the pile of leaves, it paused. It nudged against them, then, after a long frozen instant, scuttled beneath. The leaves rustled, then were still.</p><p>Ignis, after circling around to a safe distance, ran toward the center of the sand, where something glinted.</p><p>The sorcerer's voice said, “What in the world was that?”</p><p>“Scorpions are nocturnal,” Ignis said without breaking his stride. Sand slid under his boots, heat leaching through the soles. “They prefer shade and shelter in the daylight hours. You should take better care of your pets.”</p><p>In response he was allowed to hear Prompto whisper, “Please...”</p><p>The promised reward was a small square object. Ignis snatched it up and saw that it was a folded mirror such as women carried, marked with a black chocobo design.</p><p>Prompto's voice said, “Please, don't stop...”</p><p>The mirror opened.</p><p>It opened and kept opening, lifting out of Ignis's hand in an impossible unfolding until it was an oval hole half his height floating in the air before him. On the other side was Prompto. He was naked and pinned against a stone wall by countless thick vines that brushed and bound him, stroked him and caressed him, and the expression that twisted his face was not pain.</p><p>Beside him, golden-eyed, black-clad, and wearing a carnivorous smile, stood the sorcerer.</p><p>He said, “I told you it would be worth the effort.”</p><p>Ignis was stunned to stillness for a moment. When the young commoner had first sought to attach himself to the prince, it had taken Ignis all of three minutes to get his measure, and two of those had been spent analyzing his hair. He was not one who consciously sought power or favors, but one enchanted by the glamour of royalty. He was innocent, earnest, and would vanish at the first difficulty. Yet his affection for the prince was sincere, and it was good for Noctis to have uncomplicated company.</p><p>Ignis had, on a few occasions, allowed himself to think of him as cute.</p><p>He had never imagined Prompto with slack, lust-drunk lips as enchanted vines nuzzled his chest and stroked the column of his throat.</p><p>“Unhand him,” Ignis demanded.</p><p>Across the rift in space, Prompto's eyes found him. Though hazy and unfocused, they widened. The pupils were black pools. “Iggy...”</p><p>The dazed breath of his name made Ignis's stomach clench.</p><p>As carelessly as if he were alone, the sorcerer standing beside Prompto said, “What, and leave him with no fun at all while we wait? How cruel a notion.”</p><p>Ignis pushed the floating image out of his way. The edge was cool to his fingertips, and it slid weightlessly to hover on his right side and follow him as he struck out across the sand. He had a job to do. That had not changed.</p><p>“I shan't release him,” said the sorcerer, his gestures visible as a flutter of trailing sleeves in Ignis's peripheral vision, “but should you arrive hastily, I shall let him taste release.”</p><p>“Terrible,” Ignis muttered. He reached the other side of the clearing and was bathed once again in the shadows of the canopy.</p><p>“I heard that,” said the sorcerer.</p><p>A gasp from Prompto pulled Ignis's unwilling eyes to the right. The wall Prompto was held against was curtained in the vines, an undulating mass that had tendrils wrapped around his wrists and ankles like living manacles. A heavy vine was slung around his waist like a lover's arm. Two teased his thighs, another caressed its tip slowly up and down his side, and one more vine went questing to wrap around his pectoral and nudge against his pink nipple.</p><p>Ignis stumbled into a fern.</p><p>With a snap of the sorcerer's fingers, a winged, golden hourglass appeared between him and Prompto. The sand in the top section ran at a swift and steady drain. Ignis set his eyes forward and pushed himself to his feet. As he picked his way through the narrow paths in the growth as quickly as he could, the sorcerer's voice followed him, interwoven with Prompto's moans.</p><p>“Arrive in time and he will know bliss indescribable.”</p><p>Ignis climbed over a fallen, half-rotted log. He wiped the fog of humidity from his glasses. Ahead, he heard the sound of water.</p><p>“Take too long...”</p><p>The vines went abruptly still. Caught in their grip, Prompto tugged against them and whimpered.</p><p>The sorcerer's voice was rich with false regret. “...and he is out of luck.”</p><p>Prompto's sigh informed Ignis the vines must have resumed their affections. His eyes were on the river that blocked his path. The rushing waters did not concern him so much as the long, reptilian shadows beneath the surface.</p><p>“Care for a swim?” the sorcerer said, pulling Ignis's eyes to the image beside him.</p><p>The vines were indeed on the move. One curled around Prompto's rear and gave a squeeze that made his eyes roll upward. A particularly slender one wound around his thigh, curious as an explorer, and followed a path between his legs to disappear behind him.</p><p>Prompto, his thighs tensing and hips lifting against the limitations of his bonds, said, “Come on, come on...<em>ngh.</em> Mm. There you go.”</p><p>The sorcerer's laughing gold eyes were fixed on Ignis. “You look as though you could use some cooling down.”</p><p>The sand in the golden hourglass flowed.</p><p>Helpfully, the sorcerer added, “Don't worry. The crocodiles won't harm you.”</p><p>“Iggy, look out,” Prompto, despite all his distraction, managed to warn.</p><p>It was impressive but unnecessary. Ignis was not going to charge in as foolishly as the sorcerer clearly desired. He cut free a fern frond, carried it to the edge of the water, and dropped it to be carried away by the current.</p><p>It made it a few feet before being torn to pieces by a snapping green jaw.</p><p>The sorcerer mentioned, “The alligators, however, might.”</p><p>Ignis jumped back from the shore as two reptiles slid out of the water. These, unlike the scorpion, were within the limits of standard size for their species, though well along the high end. They did not attack, but set their claws in the sandy bank and regarded him.</p><p>The sorcerer said, “It would be so much quicker if you were to have a ride.”</p><p>Prompto's moans were quieting. He grunted and shifted. “H, hey. You think I could, uh, get something a little thicker here?”</p><p>A broad smile painted the sorcerer's lips. “Do you hear that? Our Prompto has a fine idea. Let's leave it up to the guest, shall we? A little extra challenge. Reach the other side in ten minutes, and your friend gets a treat.”</p><p>“Iggy can do it,” Prompto said, in a heartwarming if slightly odd show of faith.</p><p>“There are your options,” said the sorcerer, spreading his hands. They were clad in black, fingerless gloves. “Take a detour or take your chances.”</p><p>Ignis's eyes searched the reptiles in front of him, a new clock ticking in his head. He focused on the path ahead, not Prompto's bare and sweat-slick skin.</p><p>He said, “If I choose correctly, you will guarantee me safe passage?”</p><p>The sorcerer said, “Cross my heart.”</p><p>Ignis said, “Prompto, can I trust him?”</p><p>“No,” said Prompto. He twitched when a vine flicked his nipple. “But he doesn't lie.”</p><p>“If you're both done casting hurtful aspersions, make your choice.”</p><p>Without an instant's hesitation, Ignis headed toward the reptile on the right.</p><p>He was already on its back and on the water when the sorcerer said, “My, you have astounding trust in your luck.”</p><p>“Not luck,” Ignis said. The water lapped at his arms and legs, warm as the air. The crocodile's back undulated beneath him. “A crocodile has a narrower snout and visible lower teeth at rest.”</p><p>“I told you he was smart.”</p><p>“Hm, yes. Smart enough to earn you a reward.”</p><p>The moment Ignis reached shore and crawled off with a thoughtless pat to the creature's brow in appreciation, he could not avoid seeing a much more substantial vine follow the path of its compatriot. No more could he avoid Prompto's moan.</p><p>“Isn't that nice,” the sorcerer purred.</p><p>“Y, yeah,” said Prompto.</p><p>His head had fallen to the side. Another vine touched his chin and lifted his face until he was looking directly into Ignis's eyes.</p><p>“Manners, manners,” said the sorcerer. “What do we say?”</p><p>Prompto's tongue ran over his lips. His body rocked slowly along with the vine's motion. His eyes were as unfocused as his smile. “Thanks, Iggy.”</p><p>Ignis had hardly gone ten steps through the tangled ferns and truly pitcher-sized pitcher plants before he broke through a wall of foliage to find himself on the bare stone precipice of a ravine. It was a good fifteen feet across with a bottom shrouded in mist. The tower loomed on the other side.</p><p>“Oh, so close and yet so far,” the sorcerer said. His voice was pitched above the rustle of the vines and Prompto's gasps. “The bridge was unsightly evidence of the meddling hand of man in the lovely natural landscape. It was a blight to see, so I turned it invisible. If I recall correctly, it should begin just by your right foot.”</p><p>“Nh...that's so good...”</p><p>Ignis knelt and reached out into space as a warm, dense wind rose from the chasm and toyed with his hair. He waved his hand until the little finger collided with something solid. Where his eyes found nothing, his touch informed him there was something flat and solid that continued across the ravine out of his reach. Thoughtlessly he turned to his right and found himself looking into the floating image, directly at where a slender vine was tracing along the underside of Prompto's cock.</p><p>The sorcerer lifted his hand as though Prompto were a work of art he curated. Prompto's arm muscles stood out starkly as he twisted against the bonds.</p><p>“You'd best pick up the pace,” the sorcerer said. “Your friend is positively aching to see you.”</p><p>Sand streamed through the golden hourglass.</p><p>Ignis backed away from the edge until his feet hit soft soil. He gathered up an armful of dirt, redolent with the scent of earth. As Prompto let out a chorus of sharp <em>oh</em>s, Ignis went to the edge of the ravine and scattered the dirt into the emptiness with a flick of his wrist. Some fell into the abyss. The rest stayed suspended in a clear, wide path in midair.</p><p>“Clever,” the sorcerer said.</p><p>The wind's strength increased, buffeting Ignis and rippling his shirt. It died down a moment later, with the telltale soil scoured away.</p><p>“But not quite clever enough.”</p><p>Ignis didn't look to see what made Prompto yelp. His imagination could do well enough.</p><p>He ran back into the jungle, pausing only long enough to hack down one of the pitcher plants. He carried it to the river, where under the placid and curious eye of the helpful crocodile, he knelt and filled the capacious plant with water. He shoveled in enough dirt to make a thin mud and hastened back to the ravine.</p><p>When tossed from an open hand, the mud sailed through the air magnificently. It stuck in splashes to the solid air. Without allowing himself time to think about the drop, Ignis set out. He threw more as he went, quickly as he dared, and focused on the stone he felt beneath his feet, not the pattern of mud and empty air he saw. Certainly not on the sickening contrast of transparent and opaque, or on how the ravine had no visible bottom.</p><p>“Oh, very good,” the sorcerer laughed as Ignis passed the halfway point. “Why did you not tell me your friend was such fun?”</p><p>Ignis had to focus on his footing. It would be suicidally foolish to let his eyes stray from the path.</p><p>He nearly did when he heard a smack as of a vine against flesh, and Prompto's cry.</p><p>Prompto's frantic breaths followed him each step along the bridge.</p><p>When with heart-deep gratitude Ignis set foot on plain, visible ground, he dropped the pitcher plant and let it slop mud across the stone. He fell to one knee and caught his breath. Mud clad his left arm to the elbow like a lady's evening glove, cool against his skin. The ground between him and the tower was open, but he would need a moment to recover before making the charge.</p><p>Prompto's breath stuttered. He said, “Come on... Ardyn, please...”</p><p>“Don't beg me, my dear.”</p><p>Ignis looked up just in time to see the sorcerer's image lifting a hand toward him. Prompto, lips bitten and vines caressing his neck, caught him in deep blue eyes.</p><p>The sorcerer said, “Beg <em>him.</em> ”</p><p>Ignis ran.</p><p>He reached the door of the tower to the sound of, “Iggy...hurry...”</p><p>“I can't imagine what's taking him so long,” the sorcerer said. “One would think he'd be desperate to see how lovely you are in person.”</p><p>Ignis yanked the heavy door open by its iron ring and forced himself to let his eyes adjust. Nothing lurking in the shadows to waylay him. Only stone stairs spiraling upwards. In the close space Prompto's panting echoed, and the motion of the vines was an audible whisper.</p><p>“Ignis, please...”</p><p>Ignis sprinted up the stairs.</p><p>He kept his eyes straight ahead, not sparing so much as a glance at the writhing in his peripheral vision. Drops of mud fell from his hand with every step. Flashes of light flashed by to his left as he ran past narrow windows to the outside.</p><p>“I wonder if he can make it,” the sorcerer mused from his right. “There is so little time left.”</p><p>Ignis's lungs burned and his legs ached. The hot, wet air clung to him like a fever. How tall could the tower be?</p><p>“Prompto,” he spared the breath to say, “Just hold on. I'm almost there.”</p><p>“I certainly hope so,” the sorcerer said. “He's so very pretty like this, up close and in person. It would be a shame to miss the show.”</p><p>“Come on... y, you gotta...” Prompto's voice was a unsteady rasp. “I need...ah!”</p><p>“Ten,” the sorcerer remarked as Ignis's feet pounded on the stairs, “nine...”</p><p>There was a landing and a door. Ignis lunged up the last few steps.</p><p>“I can't...Iggy, please!”</p><p>The last word was a howl that Ignis heard from the image, and then, as he threw open the door, from the man himself.</p><p>He had thought himself protected by knowing what to expect.</p><p>There Prompto was, held fast in the grip of vines that stroked his flesh. He was crying out with every breath he could catch while vines teased his nipples and pet the length of his cock, and another worked steadily between his legs. He was silenced only when one touched his mouth. His lips parted and he let it in, sucking avidly.</p><p>His eyes met Ignis's and went bright with joy.</p><p>Ignis remembered the sorcerer was there. He stood a few steps away with his long black coat trailing on the floor and the winged hourglass fluttering beside him, the sand frozen with a teaspoon's worth remaining in the top bulb.</p><p>“Oh, very nicely done. My congratulations.”</p><p>Before Ignis could move, the sorcerer snapped his fingers. More vines shot out and wrapped around Ignis's wrists and ankles as the ones caressing Prompto shuddered and slowed. The now-redundant floating image melted away.</p><p>Ignis fought against his living shackles with all his strength and gained not an inch.</p><p>“What is the meaning of this?” Ignis demanded through gritted teeth. “I completed your challenge.”</p><p>The sorcerer made soothing gestures. “Now, now, never fret. I'm keeping my end of the bargain. I only wish to give you a nice, secure vantage point.”</p><p>Prompto pushed against the grip of the vines. His face was flushed, eyes glassy and locked on Ignis as the vine moved slowly between his lips.</p><p>The sorcerer spread his hands and smiled generously. “Enjoy your reward.”</p><p>It was, as Ignis would always think of it, a strange, suspended moment. Prompto was staring at him with lust-addled eyes, with the vine slipping from between his lips. Ignis, though far more dressed, was held equally immobile. The sorcerer stepped back with his hands folded in his sleeves.</p><p>It was very different from watching through the magical image. In person Ignis could see how Prompto's body shone with sap, and hear every soft noise that escaped his throat.</p><p>“C, come on,” Prompto said. The muscles of his arms bunched and his abdomen flexed. “Please. Don't stop.”</p><p>Ignis didn't understand why the vines had become so hesitant. They were draped over Prompto but had gone slow and aimless, when they should have been taking a firm grip. How could even a plant bear to be resting against his skin without showing some initiative? The one between his legs should be moving.</p><p>“Oh,” Prompto said, and shivered.</p><p>Yes. Like that.</p><p>Slowly the vines resumed their attentions, as if they had been distracted by Ignis's entrance. Still, they were frustratingly tentative in giving Prompto what he needed. They should have been bold, wrapping firmly around his waist and stroking down his arms. They should have been teasing his pink nipples and twining around his cock to give him his long overdue pleasure.</p><p>“Oh god,” Prompto moaned, and melted into their touch. “Yeah. Just like that.”</p><p>Ignis's tongue traced his lips and his voice echoed, “Just like that.”</p><p>The vines ceased holding back.</p><p>They gave Prompto all their attention. He became a tapestry of moving green, with the thick one pushing vigorously inside of him while others caressed his body with visible greed. His head whipped back and forth as numerous slender ones ran the length of his cock, and his breathing became wild and desperate until it peaked in a strangled shout and his body convulsed. The vines held his cock close to his body as he came across his own stomach. Rivulets trickled down the channels between his abdominal muscles.</p><p>Ignis did not realize how he had been straining against his own bonds until they let him go. He stumbled to his knees on the stone floor. Prompto's limp body was let down more gently, cradled in the vines' grip.</p><p>There was a sound of light applause.</p><p>“What a splendid show,” the sorcerer said.</p><p>Ignis had forgotten he was there.</p><p>“All right,” Ignis said, his voice roughened, “you've had your game. Get those off of him.”</p><p>“Me?” said the sorcerer, placing an innocent hand over his chest. “I passed control of that set to you the moment you entered the room.”</p><p>At once the vines recoiled from Prompto's body. The sorcerer snapped his fingers, and a cloak of scarlet feathers appeared in midair and draped over Prompto's shoulders. Another gesture made a door appear in the tower's wall. It opened, not out into the air of the jungle, but into a candlelit castle hall.</p><p>“You two must have so much to talk about,” the sorcerer said before he stepped through, as Ignis and Prompto stared at one another. The mud on Ignis's left hand had solidified to a crackling, dry glove. “I'll let you catch up.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Prompto was unsteady on his feet, but it was not the time for Ignis to lend a hand. The vines lay along the floor and against the wall, with only the occasional shift betraying their enchantment. </p><p>Prompto said, “Okay, so. That was...woah. Wow. A lot.” </p><p>The only sign that his voice had been recently shouting in ecstasy was a slight hoarseness. </p><p>Ignis could not quite lift his gaze from the stone floor. He could well imagine the look on Prompto's face.</p><p>“Prompto...” The patter of flakes of dry mud onto the floor informed Ignis he had made a fist at his side. “My apologies are not sufficient.” </p><p>“For...?” Prompto's voice was guileless. “Oh. <i>Oh</i>. Dude, don't worry about it. I know you'd never-- you didn't mean to.” He pulled the feather cloak around his shoulders and added, reddening, “Anyway, it felt, uh. Nice.” </p><p>Ignis could hope for that much, at least, before he sought to forget the entire thing and shunt any lingering images off to a dark corner of his mind. An apology was far from enough, but he had no idea what else to do. Somehow he would make it up to him, when they were safely home. </p><p>“Are you all right?” </p><p>“Yeah, totally fine.” He did look to be all in one piece, if rather worn out from the recent exertion. He gave Ignis a searching look. “But what are you doing here? Is Noct okay?” Sudden fear appeared on his face and he tripped forward in a flutter of feathers. “Noct has gotta be okay, he <i>promised-</i>” </p><p>“Noct is fine,” Ignis said hastily. “They've called his recovery nothing short of miraculous.”</p><p>Prompto sighed and the tension melted from his stance. “Thank the gods.” </p><p>Ignis, eyeing him, said, “I suspect they had little to do with it.” </p><p>Prompto walked across the tower toward the sorcerous door.  The feathers at the bottom of the cape swayed across his bare calves, and the vines lifted as though to watch him pass.</p><p>“First thing's first, I figure we could both use a bath. You've been running through a whole magic jungle, and I am all kinds of sticky.” Prompto's voice was light. He held out his hand to a thick vine, let it wind around his wrist, and shook. “And you guys. Buy me dinner or something sometime, all right? Cause, wow.” </p><p>No hard feelings, it appeared. At least none he would let show. </p><p>“A bath would be welcome,” Ignis admitted. The cuffs of both shirt and trousers were wet from the river, and his shirt was sticking to the small of his back with sweat. The open door breathed cool, blessedly dry air. “Then we can be on our way.” </p><p>Prompto paused in midstep. He looked back, his brows knit. His mind must still have been addled by his ordeal. “On our way where?” </p><p>“Insomnia,” Ignis said. He stepped delicately over a vine. “I've come to bring you home.” </p><p>It was not entirely the heroic rescue he'd envisioned, but what mattered was the result.</p><p>“Oh,” Prompto said. “Uh. Little problem.” </p><p>He shifted from foot to foot and pushed his disarrayed hair back from his brow. His eyes wandered in several directions that were not toward Ignis. </p><p>He said, “I'm staying here.”</p>
<hr/><p>The bath was practically an artificial lake, located in a white-tiled room that put the palace to shame. Ignis could not suppress a sigh as he was enveloped by water at a disturbingly perfect temperature. </p><p>“Not so bad, huh?” Prompto said. There was a moment of hesitation in his movements before he took the feathered cloak off and hung it on a hook. He must have been reasoning that there was no point in being shy about nudity in front of Ignis, now. Ignis, a man with <i>some</i> decency, averted his eyes until a splash told him Prompto was in the water. </p><p>“A fine comfort,” Ignis said, washing the mud from his arm with a convenient cloth, “if not quite the comforts of home.” </p><p>“Well, it's home now,” Prompto said, with the weak smile he had when he tried to make a joke about something that unnerved him. </p><p>“Prompto.” Ignis took his glasses off and set them aside. Prompto's face lost a degree of sharpness. “I am not leaving you a prisoner here. However the sorcerer means to trap you, we will put our minds to it and find a way out.” </p><p>“It's not a trap." The water sloshed when Prompto sat up straight and braced his elbows on the edge of the pool. His voice, not loud, reflected from the tile. “It's the deal.” </p><p>“The deal?” Ignis echoed as well. </p><p>“Okay, so.” It was Prompto's opening to a tale, as traditional as <i>once upon a time</i>. “They say there's always something you have to pay, right? That freaked me out, since I never in my life owned anything worth, y'know, a prince, but it turns out all he wanted was for me to stick around and do stuff for him for a while. So before he could change his mind and ask for a unicorn foot or something, I said yes.” </p><p>Was it possible to be desperately proud of someone and despair of them at the same time? </p><p>“How long is 'a while?'” said Ignis, who would, when they returned home, teach Prompto remedial basics of contract law. </p><p>“However long Ardyn wants, I guess.” </p><p>Ardyn. The name that fell casually from Prompto's lips was the same one he had called the sorcerer by earlier. More precisely, the name he had begged him by. </p><p>The color in Ignis's face was due to the heat of the bath.</p><p>“And what does 'doing stuff' entail?” said Ignis, a believer in the value of facing bad news. </p><p>Prompto's gesture scattered drops of water over the surface. “Honestly? Odd jobs, so far. Nothing even hard. Just, like, sorting stuff that all looks the same, like potion bottles, or chocobo and phoenix feathers all mixed up. Wait a minute, is he just having me clean out his closet?” </p><p>Ignis put his wary relief to the side and said, “If they all look the same, how did you sort them?”</p><p>“It wasn't that tough. With the bottles it was in this big storeroom full of stuff, and I thought about how things look way different in that darkroom Noct helped me put together. So I found this stained glass thing lying around, and if you look through the red parts the difference is way obvious. With the feathers, some of them just seemed phoenixier.” </p><p>“He hasn't laid a hand on you?” Ignis said. The only visible marks on Prompto were a slight redness around his wrists where the vines had held him. </p><p>“Nah, he's not a real touchy guy. The thing today...that's, uh, not a thing that's happened before.”  Prompto ducked his head under the water and came up displaying the rare sight of his hair obeying gravity. “But hey. How'd you even know I was here?” </p><p>“It was a simple enough deduction.” Ignis dipped his hand into the elaborately painted jar at the edge of the pool and sniffed the piece of shell-shaped soap he withdrew. Lemon and rosemary. “When Noct was at his worst, you vanished along with the royal stable's swiftest chocobo. The popular conclusion was that you'd taken the opportunity to steal her and run, but neither Gladio nor I believed that. You would never have left Noct's side without good reason, and if you were going to steal a chocobo, you would have taken Daisy.” </p><p>“She headbutts me and makes funny noises,” Prompto said fondly of his favorite. </p><p>“My suspicions were confirmed when Sagitta returned riderless, the day after Noct opened his eyes.” </p><p>“So he really is okay,” Prompto said. Ignis understood the depth of his sigh. It was a relief that broke anew every time one's mind went to the space where the ever-present dread had lived and found it empty. </p><p>“I'm surprised you didn't hear the bells from here. The city has been in celebration ever since. The doctors were confounded. Gladio, naturally, did not tell them what he told me.” The shifting water threw lines of light across the walls. Ignis watched them as he spoke, and kept his voice composed. “That night that...we all believed would be the last, when His Majesty had fallen asleep at Noct's bedside, Gladio was keeping watch. He saw the shape of a raven fly in through the window. As he tells it, it broke a vial of silver mist above Noct's face, and he began to breathe easy. Gladio was somewhat embarrassed to tell me about it. I suspect expected me to believe it was a figment brought on by strain and sorrow, or he had fallen asleep at his post. It was little work to connect that to the legends of the one who grants wishes. So I went out seeking, though I admit I was shocked to so easily— hold on, what are you doing here?”</p><p>That was to the crocodile that had just clambered across the tiled floor and slid into the pool. It floated placidly between them, propelling itself with lazy strokes of its legs. A distinctive pattern of darker scales on one foreclaw marked it as the one Ignis had ridden across the river not long before. </p><p>“He must've snuck out of the jungle room,” Prompto said. The beast bumped Ignis's arm with its snout, to his mild dismay and Prompto's laughter. “Aw, he likes you! I'm gonna call him Snappy. Like the joke about the sandwich.” </p><p>“You can tell Noct about him,” Ignis said significantly. </p><p>Prompto looked away and trailed his fingertips through the water. His voice fell. “Look, I want to go back, but I can't. Ardyn kept up his end of the bargain, so now I keep up mine. It's a fair trade.” </p><p>“Would Noct agree?” In this room, any voice echoed. “I had to sneak away under a pretense of duty. He's barely regained the strength to walk, but if he had known I was searching for you, he would have insisted on coming along.” </p><p>“You think so?” Prompto's blond brows lifted, as though this were truly a surprise. </p><p>“I know it.” </p><p>“Man, he really is...just, hey, don't tell him about this, all right? Tell him I grief-joined the circus or something. Do people do that?” </p><p>“They do not.” </p><p>“Well, you can think of something better. But I can't back out of this.” </p><p>“You won't have to,” Ignis said. He gave the crocodile a businesslike pat on the back. He always felt better after a bath and after he'd made a decision. The earlier awkwardness was nearly out of his mind. “I am going to speak to your sorcerer, and I am going to negotiate.”</p>
<hr/><p>Prompto had told Ignis that the study was at the top of the highest tower, precisely as he would have guessed. The door was heavy wood with sigils arching above the frame and no visible means of opening it. Ignis approached, checked that the buttons were properly done up on the fresh shirt he had found in a chest that apparently dispensed clothing on request, and knocked.</p><p>“Come in,” the sorcerer's voice called. The door swung open with a sinister creak. </p><p>The room was in the form of an ordinary study, warmly lit and with a fire in the hearth. The difference came from looking more closely at the items on the shelves. After a moment Ignis's eyes adjusted, and he noted that the ship in a bottle rocked on choppy seas, that the planets in the orrery had clouds drifting across their surfaces, and that a bell jar on the shelf was full of particles of vivid blue dust held motionless in the air. There were hundreds of books, many with writing on the spines in no language Ignis recognized. Jars on the shelves contained mysterious sundries; a lizard made of stone, a tiny beaten-gold mask on a stand, a palm-sized bronze gong with a hammer, one half of a candle flame. </p><p>The sorcerer sat behind a desk, where the low light gleamed on mauve hair that could, in Ignis's opinion, use an attempt at combing. He smiled pleasantly.</p><p>“Please, take a seat. It's been so long since I've had a chance to properly play host.” </p><p>With each step Ignis took, the midnight black oval rug that lay in the center of the room nearly engulfed the toes of his boots. He perched on the floral-upholstered couch. One by one, as he was still, stars began to appear on the rug by his feet. </p><p>“Will you take some tea now? No enchantments or poisons, on my honor, that would be uncouth. I have some steeped from leaves of the Tree of Life, or distilled from the beams of long-dark suns, or a lovely variety made with a hint of the blood of fire-breathing wyrms...” </p><p>“Mint, if you please,” said Ignis. </p><p>The sorcerer snapped his fingers. A teapot appeared on the coffee table and lifted itself to pour into a cup that, when full, floated in Ignis's direction. He plucked it from the air. </p><p>He held the cup between his hands and breathed in wisps of fragrant steam. “I've come to discuss Prompto.” </p><p>“Of course, of course. Our Prompto. That is to say, my.” The sorcerer rose and paced behind the wing chairs that stood across from Ignis. In person he was far larger than he had seemed through the enchanted mirror, made further so by the sweep of his dark robes. Ignis had never met anyone from any country he knew of that spoke in that lilting accent, though he recalled a few stage actors in historicals who had affected something close. “Did you have a nice reunion?” </p><p>Ignis sipped tea instead of taking the bait. It tasted fresh and reassuringly ordinary. “He told me about your bargain.” </p><p>“Ah,” said the sorcerer. “That.” </p><p>He wandered to the fire and took up a poker that stood by the hearth. Ignis mentally crossed out <i>cold iron</i> from the list of possible weaknesses. He stirred the embers until Ignis half believed his company had been forgotten. </p><p>In a voice that Ignis had to lean forward to catch, the sorcerer said, “I hate it when they say 'anything.'” </p><p>The tip of the poker dragged along a burning log. An obsidian mirror on the wall reflected Ardyn as a place of darkness outlined in the orange glow. </p><p>“So earnest. So convinced of their own sacrificial nature. I always set an absurd price, then, and let them argue it down to something more reasonable, just so that they will always know they were lying.” </p><p>“What price did you set?” said Ignis.</p><p>Lace fluttered on the sorcerer's sleeves as he turned and spread his hands. “Oh, the obvious. 'Your life for his.'” </p><p>“He bargained you down.” </p><p>The sorcerer gave a faint smile. “He agreed before I'd finished the sentence.” </p><p>“Ah.” Ignis looked down at the tea's surface and saw Prompto's face as he had walked out of Noct's room, looking straight forward, not slowing. Looking not at all like the callow boy one might get into the habit of assuming him to be. “So he did.” </p><p>The sorcerer went on, ostentatiously careless. “But murder is as dull as any other trivial task, so I decided to make that mean spending his life in my service. Corpses are poor company, and he is fascinating. As you know.” Firelight shone on his teeth. “If you ever made a request of me, I would have to set the price at something as exquisite as the look in your eyes, watching him.” </p><p>A prince's adviser had to be able to remain focused under any circumstances. Ignis had practiced with opponents who attempted to rattle him or force him off track. He had debated tax reform with his uncle while Gladio loomed over him or Iris shouted in his ears, and when that grew too easy, while Gladio held him upside-down by the ankles. It would take more than a magician's taunts to distract him from his job.</p><p>Ignis drained the cup of tea and took his time. </p><p>"I would like to see Prompto's contract.” </p><p>“The contract!” The sorcerer swept away from the fireplace and draped himself over a chair, one leg hanging over the arm. “Written on vellum, yes? Dense with clever language, impeccably binding but for one tiny loophole? Signed in blood?” </p><p>“Yes,” said Ignis, “the standard document.” </p><p>“I don't have anything like that.” The sorcerer's boot kicked idly. “I prefer an old-fashioned gentleman's agreement.” </p><p>He raised his hand, twitching his fingers in a come-hither curl. A small bottle lifted from his desk and sailed across the room to his palm. Suspended in a clear liquid inside, casting a steady gold glow onto the black material of his glove, were the inch-high letters <i>Y E S.</i></p><p>The sorcerer said, “He gave me his word.” </p><p>He did not seemed inclined to continue. Ignis pressed, “And then?” </p><p>“Then?” The sorcerer's voice dropped a degree of its grandiosity and for a moment sounded like an ordinary man's. “He fell asleep on my dining room table. I suspect he'd been riding all night.”</p><p>Ignis's empty teacup made a quiet clink on the saucer. He folded his hands and listened to the crackle of the fire. </p><p><i>You can't trust him</i>, Prompto had said, <i>but he doesn't lie.</i></p><p>“Is there any way you would consent to release him from his agreement?” </p><p>The sorcerer set the bottle on the table. The word preserved within was a color much like his eyes. The theatrical, taunting air returned to the bend of his lips. “The standard devil's deal would be to offer to restore the prince's illness in exchange. Let things go back to exactly as they were before I interfered.”</p><p>Noct, paper-white and with hollow cheeks, pulling labored breaths, glassy-eyed and delirious, half in a fever dream even in the rarer and  rarer times he woke. </p><p>“Impossible, however,” the sorcerer continued lightly. “That was a panacea even my own powers cannot overcome. The prince will not suffer from so much as a cold for as long as he lives.” </p><p>The constriction around Ignis's heart eased.  </p><p>“Then I will ask a favor of my own,” said Ignis. </p><p>“Oh?” the sorcerer said, as casually as though he had not just admitted to lacking omnipotence. “Choose carefully. You only get the one.” </p><p>“I ask for Prompto's freedom. Name your price.” </p><p>The sorcerer leaned back in the chair and waved his hand. “Terribly sorry, but I don't think so. If I let one petitioner get another off the hook, the next thing you know I'd have an entire sequence of them traipsing through my hall demanding my attention. I'd never get anything done. Request denied.” </p><p>“In that case-” Ignis began, readying a litany of variations and careful rephrasings that might prove more effective.</p><p>“No.” The sorcerer sat up from his slouch. The playfulness was gone from his gold eyes. “No games, and no fiddling with the fine print. The boy made the decision of his own will. He gave himself to me and mine he will remain.”</p><p>The painting on the wall behind him was of a man in robes being set upon by several others wielding knives. The room accentuated the strangenesses of him; the affected staging of his gestures, the maroon hue of his unkempt hair. If the theory was true that this was a demon that amused itself by taking human shape, it had not bothered to perfect the details. </p><p>Ignis was silent. </p><p>“Oh, don't look so downcast. I'm not cruel. You may stay the night to say goodbye.” His lips curved, turned a wine color by the firelight, and his voice dropped to a purr. “You needn't worry, after that. I will take such good care of him.” </p><p>There was a lingering flavor of mint on Ignis's tongue. He thought of returning to Noct empty-handed, and of Prompto alone. </p><p>No fiddling and no games. And yet. </p><p>Ignis said, “I invoke the right of challenge.” </p><p>The fire seemed to grow quieter. On a shelf, an assemblage of silver-wire pyramids under a bell jar drifted and reformed themselves like a cloud of drowsy insects. The shadows were many and restless. </p><p>The sorcerer arched his eyebrows and said, “My, my, my. It has been so very long since last I heard those words. You would be one to do your research.” </p><p>His expression reminded Ignis,suddenly and strangely, of Noct when he got something he wanted. </p><p>“I accept," he said. </p><p>After that it was only a matter of setting out terms. In writing, of course. Ignis produced a pen from his pocket and the sorcerer contributed a roll of parchment drawn from midair. </p><p>“Three contests, of a nature to be agreed upon by us both,” said the sorcerer. His face was animated and his fingers wove in the air as he spoke. “Each may set further conditions, but the opponent may set an equal number.”</p><p>“Agreed,” said Ignis, writing, “with the caveat that if should the contest involve Prompto's participation, he must consent also.” </p><p>“Very well. Oh, and in any contest where the results are subjective, he shall serve as the judge.” </p><p>Ignis glanced up. “You would abide by his decision?” </p><p>“There's hardly anyone else, is there? I have plenty of methods of confirming he speaks the honest truth. They're a dime a dozen, really.” </p><p>That, of course, required further stipulations, as did the articles concerning that no harm or interference was to come to either party outside of the contests, that no curses were to be cast on anyone, that there was to be no revenge taken on the winner or his associates, et cetera. By the time they neared the end the sorcerer was toying with a candle in a skull on the shelf, making a show of boredom that did nothing to speed Ignis's deliberations. </p><p>“Now, the matter of the prize,” said Ignis. </p><p>That, as expected, drew the sorcerer's attention. “Ah, yes. Our lovely prize. One of us will reap the spoils, and spoil him I shall. What you saw today was the barest taste of my capabilities. I wonder how much bliss his mind and body can endure? I will very much enjoy spending his lifetime finding out.” </p><p>“Should I win,” Ignis said, walling  away the thoughts and protective anger summoned by the sorcerer's silky voice, “he...” <i>will come with me.</i> </p><p>The sorcerer kept circling back to that subject. Taunting him about Prompto, clearly hoping to distract him and bait him into a trap. He did not strike by his own hand, the legends said. The victims damned themselves with their sins. Such as greed and lust.</p><p>Ignis saw the shape of the story the sorcerer was composing and turned to the last page. <i>No sooner was the brave young knight led from his prison than his joy turned to horror, for his shackles shone in the light of the moon. He had passed from one captor to another.</i> Yes, yes, 'the real monster is man,' very original. </p><p>He said, “Should I win, Prompto will be free to go where he likes, without being followed by harm, curse, or consequence.” </p><p>“You would win your friend his heart's desire,” the sorcerer said. “Hm. So be it.” </p><p>“That is a loose wording,” Ignis said.  As he received an exasperated look but no protest, his own formulation was what he wrote. </p><p>He was about to add a line for signatures when the sorcerer said, “And if I win?” </p><p>“Prompto remains with you,” said Ignis. </p><p>“Oh, no no no.” The sorcerer shook his head, the motion echoed by the part of his shadow that was not swallowed by the midnight black rug. “Why should I compete to win something I already own? Surely you agree that isn't fair.” </p><p>Ignis sensed where this was headed. His stomach made a minor clench. “You mean to win me as well.” </p><p>“You? What a wicked idea.” The sorcerer feigned surprise. His eyes ran over Ignis's form, while Ignis refused to become uncomfortable as he was clearly meant to. “How extraordinary you could be to play with. But I think not. One companion is enough for me. Mustn't get greedy.” </p><p>“What would you ask of me, then?” </p><p>“Hm.” The sorcerer stroked his chin and gazed into the obsidian mirror in thought. A smile broke over his face. “Do you know, I have an empty place on the shelf there between the skyfish scale and the Orb of Dread Omen. I know what would make an excellent fit.” </p><p>Ignis did not take the invitation to prompt him. Eventually, the sorcerer continued on his own.</p><p>“The crown of Lucis.” </p><p>It was an absurd notion. Ignis set the pen down and knit his hands together until his tendons ached. “The kingdom is not mine to give.” </p><p>“Oh, not the actual rulership.” The sorcerer was pacing in sweeps of his long coat, taken with the idea. His relish grew with each word. “I've no interest in that bother. I mean to say the crown itself. You will bring it to me, and thus the dynasty's most faithful servant will be a traitor. For your act of compassion and loyalty, you will be hunted and despised, imprisoned or cast out, and all for the sake of a piece of useless, shining metal.” </p><p>Ignis's hands were folded over the parchment. He looked past them to the place where the neatly inked lines ended. The crown of Lucis was a small thing, deceptively delicate, with a graceful arch like a bird's wing. It could be slipped into a pocket or fit in one's palm. One day it would rest behind Noct's ear. </p><p>In silence, he added the stipulation. He felt the radiation of the sorcerer's smile. </p><p>He added two flat lines. On one, he signed the name <i>Ignis Scientia</i>. He rotated the parchment and indicated the other. </p><p>“Sign here, and be aware use of a pseudonym makes it no less binding.” </p><p>The sorcerer lifted his hand and began to point at the document. </p><p>“Manually, if you please,” said Ignis. </p><p>“If you insist.” The sorcerer held out his right arm to the side. A whip of shadow coalesced into his grasp. With a flick of his wrist, it snapped out and the tip wrapped around a peacock feather quill that rested on the desk. A tug brought the quill sailing into his hand, and the whip dissolved into the air. </p><p>Ignis said, “Was that necessary?” </p><p>The sorcerer tossed the quill from hand to hand as if recalling how they functioned, then bent to sign with loops of the iridescent feather. The name in ornate cursive was <i>Ardyn</i>. </p><p>“There we are then,” he said. He handed the document to Ignis with a flourish. “All set out in plain language. Our competition will commence on the morrow. In the meantime, take whichever rooms as suit— oh, who let you out? Shoo, you ungainly thing.” </p><p>Behind Ignis, the door had been nosed open. The crocodile was treading across the floor and over the pitch-dark rug, where the stars clustered in its footsteps. The sorcerer prodded it with a toe. It plodded over and settled by the couch where Ignis sat. </p><p>“You,” the sorcerer said, with a look of distaste at the reptile beside his furniture, “are meant to stay out of sight and out of mind.” </p><p>“He is fond of Prompto,” Ignis said. </p><p>“Of course it is,” the sorcerer sighed. “In any case, the challenge is set. I recommend you get a good night's sleep.” His smile returned. “Tomorrow, we will see what you're made of.”</p>
<hr/><p>After finding Prompto in order to confirm that he had not, against the contract's explicit stipulations, been transformed into a swan or something, Ignis let himself be led upstairs to what was evidently the castle's guest wing.</p><p>Prompto took him down a hall with a faded rose-colored carpet. It could only have been quite old, but there were few marks of wear. Candelabras in alcoves lit themselves as they walked by. After so long in the fierce sun of the jungle, it was strange to look out and see reality's night. The windows were too narrow to judge the hour by the stars, but by the measure of weariness in Ignis's body, it was late enough to be called early. However, there were things too important to leave unsaid until morning. </p><p>“Has he been feeding you?” Ignis said. </p><p>“Oh, sure,” Prompto said. “He showed me this cupboard in the kitchen where you just say whatever you want and it'll be in there. It all comes out kind of bland, though. Not like yours. Oh, and he gave me some little square jelly things. Kinda tasted like flowers. Those were weird. Here we go, you can use the room next to mine for the night.” </p><p>He opened a door, and while Ignis braced for another splash of uncanny heat and light, it turned out to be an ordinary room. Rather old-fashioned. A fireplace. Curtains a bit moth-eaten. </p><p>As welcome as the bed looked, Ignis paused in the doorway. “Prompto. We are not going to say good-bye tomorrow.” </p><p>“Huh?” He looked back with that surprise his face could wear so honestly. Prompto's emotions were not calibrated and processed before being permitted to show on his face. He had no gatekeeper. What a remarkable thing. “Hey, I appreciate you coming all the way here – a lot – but I know you can't stick around long. Noct needs you.” </p><p>“You will be returning as well,” Ignis said, and told him of the deal he'd made. He elided the forfeit should he lose. </p><p>When he was done, Prompto sat on the bed with a wince Ignis studiously did not notice. “You're going to fight him?”</p><p>“Not fight. Challenge.” </p><p>“That does sound like something Ardyn'd go for,” Prompto said, gesturing with the same thoughtless ease as he called the sorcerer by name. “He's really into games. But you know you can't win, right? I mean, you're good at a lot of stuff, but he's magic.” </p><p>“Any strength can be a weakness if one becomes dependent.”</p><p>“Iggy. Look. You don't need to do this. Sure, going home would be, would be nice. And I'm gonna miss everybody. But when people say I'm just a hanger-on who doesn't do much – they think I don't hear them, but come on, I'm not stupid - they're not really wrong. You, Noct, Gladio, you all have things you do that're important. Now for the first time in my life, I did an important thing. So I'm going to stick with it.” </p><p>Candlelight cast a bronze tint on the face of the flighty, unserious boy who had been ready to give his life for their prince. </p><p>Ignis said, “What a slanderous thing to suggest.” </p><p>Prompto's face lifted. “What?” </p><p>Ignis smiled slightly as he met his eyes. “That the Crownsguard of Lucis would leave a man behind.”</p>
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<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The cupboard in the kitchen would indeed produce anything requested. Ignis, familiar with stories of seemingly infinite resources that eventually visited their wrath on the greedy, limited his desires to omelet ingredients. There were racks of every variety of knife, ladle, and whisk, and in the shelves beneath the stovetop Ignis found a cast iron pan he might have made a devil's bargain for in itself. The stove came to life with the turn of a dial that was marked along its circumference with arcane symbols. Apart from that touch, the kitchen was quite homey in construction. </p><p>The kitchens in Insomnia were full of people moving back and forth, pulling bread from the enormous ovens, stuffing chickens on the countertops, stirring vats of soup on the stoves. The ovens here stood cool and empty. The countertops were clean. Ignis used only one corner of the vast stovetop, and there was no one to call out a caution as they walked behind him.</p><p>Prompto and he took a look at the cavernous dining hall with its ornate table that would engulf them, and on an unspoken agreement, took seats at the battered wooden table in the kitchen's corner. They took care not to kick the placid crocodile lying beneath. </p><p>Prompto chattered as he always had, asking how things were back in Insomnia, laughing to hear that as soon as Noct was confirmed recovered Gladio had bear-hugged him hard enough to crush a man, and in all visible ways they inhabited a world in which Ignis had never beheld Prompto's naked body or heard him beg in Ignis's name. Everything was comfortable and quite ordinary, excepting the hand-sized black butterfly that swept through the door as they finished. </p><p>As the creature settled by the salt shaker and spread its wing, there was the peal of a bell from somewhere in the castle's environs. Over the iridescent purple and blue patterning was written in silver script, <i>Join me in the parlor, won't you?</i> </p><p>“Wow,” Prompto said, shoving the last bit of egg in his mouth, “usually he just sends an imp with a note.”</p><p>The butterfly led the way and Ignis resettled his gloves in anticipation of battle. </p><p>The sorcerer was dressed in a robe the colors of flame, trimmed in gold and patterned in a slowly shifting meld of reds and oranges. The hem was the black of char, and gray smoke gathered at his wrists. The butterfly alighted on his shoulder. </p><p>“Good morning, good morning,” he said, with a wide gesture of his left arm where the smoke on his sleeve billowed thickly and became a dull black at the edge. “I trust you aren't too worn out from...reacquainting yourselves.” </p><p>“You are ready to propose a challenge?” Ignis said, ignoring how the sorcerer's gaze swept him up and down. It would take more than those petty efforts to put him off his stride. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back. His body often defaulted to the stances meant for dealing with royalty. </p><p>“Why, yes. Our first contest shall be transformation.” </p><p>“Of what to what?” said Ignis. A very broad wording. He could feel Prompto vibrating beside him.</p><p>“Why, to whatever you like. Creativity is the soul of the competition. As for the starting reagent, that parameter I will leave to you.” </p><p>Ignis said, “Some rice.”</p><p>The sorcerer snapped his fingers. Before him appeared a small round table that held two small burlap bags.</p><p>“Perfectly ordinary, as you see,” said the sorcerer. “Whosoever turns their reagent into something more magnificent, as according to Prompto's judgment, shall be the victor. Is that agreeable to you?” </p><p>“Accepted,” Ignis said. “I ask for two hours.” </p><p>“Accepted,” said the sorcerer. He looked as though he were enjoying himself. “We shall reconvene and unveil our creations at the strike of the bell. Now, let us begin!”</p>
<hr/><p>When the bell sounded through the halls, Ignis was walking into the parlor carrying a covered silver tray. He had had to discourage Prompto from helping in the preparations, as the sorcerer could easily have called that disqualifying interference. </p><p>This time the table in front of the sorcerer was wide and ornate. On it was the bag of rice, as well as a palm-sized smooth gray stone veined with silver and bearing a mysterious rune. Ignis set the tray down beside it.</p><p>“Our method of verification,” said the sorcerer. “Prompto, hold that in your hand, if you will.” </p><p>Ignis held out an arm to stop Prompto before he could step forward. “There is to be no spell cast on him, or any method used to affect his mind-”</p><p>“-or judgment, yes, I recall paragraph eight, section c. He will not be enchanted. The stone cannot affect anything outside itself, only respond." </p><p>That was evidently enough for Prompto, who picked up the object and weighed it in his palm. “It's cool,” he said. “Woah!” </p><p>He had nearly dropped the stone when it suddenly emitted a clear green light. Instinctively Ignis's hand went to his dagger.</p><p>“Now, now,” the sorcerer said, as if suspicion were unreasonable, “nothing malicious, I assure you. That is only the sign that the holder has spoken the truth, as he knows and feels it to be. Go ahead, speak a lie.” </p><p>Prompto thought a moment and said, “I did not spend a really long time thinking the Prince of Tenebrae was like forty.” </p><p>The stone glowed red. </p><p>“Really?” said Ignis.</p><p>“He has the white hair and the scary old guy voice!” said Prompto, and the stone went green. </p><p>“If you are satisfied,” said the sorcerer, “shall we begin?” </p><p>When their eyes were on him, the sorcerer plucked a single grain of rice and set it on the table. He made a beckoning gesture. </p><p>For a moment nothing happened, and Ignis began to think they were the subject of an obscure joke. Then the grain of rice shuddered and split in two. A tendril emerged, moving upwards. Rapidly it quested higher, and others appeared and moved in the opposite direction, forking and becoming roots that reached the edge of the table and lay in a lace over either side. The upward part became a white trunk that split into white branches and unfurled white leaves until the entire assemblage was an ivory tree that stood to the height of the sorcerer's shoulder. </p><p>The sorcerer had only begun. He took a handful of rice, let it lay piled for a moment in the palm of his glove, and threw it into the air. When he swept out his hand each flying grain of rice became a ruby that glittered in the candlelight and fell to the table with a patter. That was followed by a shower of diamonds, of gold fragments, of flakes of obsidian. Another handful became dozens of flames that danced in midair. With a gesture as though running his fingers along harpstrings, the sorcerer caused the gems to rush together and rise in the shape of a sinuous, twisting dragon. As it took to the air in bucks of its jeweled body, the flames united into two points of fire that set themselves as its eyes. The creature whirled in a circuit around the three of them, and Ignis felt the tip of its tail nearly brush his cheek. On the next pass the dragon opened its jaws and breathed a gout of flame that lit the white tree into a bonfire that shone and crackled around the black skeleton of its branches. With a snap of the sorcerer's fingers, fire, tree, and dragon alike dissolved into fragrant smoke. </p><p>“Woah,” said Prompto. </p><p>The sorcerer took a bow. He folded his hands into his sleeves and said, “The stage is yours, Count Scientia.” </p><p>He had never been told Ignis's title, but it was little surprise that he had not needed to be. </p><p>Ignis stepped forward, aware of Prompto's unsure and hopeful eyes, and lifted the cover of the tray. On it lay a set of hand-crafted rice balls. </p><p>“Really?” the sorcerer said in a voice stung with disappointment. “I appreciate a joke as much as the next man, but I had thought you would at the least make a true attempt. If your friend means so little to you-” </p><p>“Mrph,” Prompto said around a mouthful. He held up the hand clutching the rock, which presently began to glow green. “Iggy wins.” </p><p><i>”What?</i>” </p><p>“There is an old saying,” said Ignis, as his heart began to return to a normal speed and he allowed relief to seep into him via a controlled mental aqueduct, “'practicality over ornament.' If the finished product has no relation to the function of the reagent, there is little point. The goal is to express the ingredient's essence.” </p><p>“I absolutely protest the verdict.”</p><p>Prompto pushed the tray over and said, “Dude, try one.” </p><p>The sorcerer picked up a rice ball as though it were an unidentifiable object. He took a delicate bite of one corner and looked off into the distance as he swallowed. </p><p>He said, grudgingly, “Oh, fine.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Prompto might get to go home. </p>
<p>The minute he'd walked out of that awful sick-smelling room and gone straight to the stables, he'd dropped any thoughts about the future. Getting help for Noct was what mattered. Once that happened, even being alive was a bonus gift. If spending the rest of his life sorting a wizard's junk drawers was the price, he'd pay it with a smile. But if he could have Noct alive and well, and then also be able to see him and Gladio and everybody again... well, that was enough to make anybody giddy. The contests were best two out of three, so all Ignis had to do was win one more. He could do that no problem.</p>
<p>Iggy must have been feeling good, too. He'd asked if he could send a message home, and then written, <i>Prompto and I are fine. We will return shortly.</i> Ardyn had just said “My, how confident,” before rolling up the little scroll and setting it into the grip of a bat that flew out the window toward Insomnia. Then he'd gone back to his study and Ignis had started brainstorming ideas for the next contest. </p>
<p>“You said he never touches you, correct?” Ignis said, pacing back and forth along the kitchen and stepping over the crocodile each time. He'd talked Prompto into calling him Snap. He said it was more dignified. </p>
<p>“Uh, yeah,” Prompto said. “I mean, no. He doesn't. He's not handsy.” </p>
<p>He had that in common with some people. Like, say, the guy Prompto had convinced himself was pelting through a jungle tricking scorpions and doing all kinds of cool stunts so he could come blow his mind, and then when he actually <i>did</i> that, he apologized. And couldn't even look at him. And maybe that was somebody handsome and brilliant who Prompto'd had a crush on for ages. Maybe somebody who he'd stood naked and panting and staring at, thinking in the next second he'd come and kiss him stupid, but what he'd done was stand there looking shocked and miserable. Yeah, the castle was full of people who wouldn't lay a hand on Prompto.</p>
<p>Okay, that wasn't fair. So Ignis wasn't interested. That sucked but it was how it was, and Prompto would have to be an asshole to try to push it. Ignis was here fighting for him as a friend and as a Crownsguard member, and that was plenty of amazing for one person.</p>
<p>“He seems to avoid physicality and use magic to do things indirectly as much as possible,” Ignis mused.</p>
<p>“I figured he just likes showing off.” Prompto glanced over and sat up straighter at the table. “Wait, that's your I-have-an-idea voice. Do you have an idea?” </p>
<p>With a clever little quirk to his mouth that could make somebody's stomach twist hard, Ignis said, “I believe I might.” </p>
<p>They went together to see Ardyn. He was draped over a big chair in the main hall like he'd been when Prompto first came here, but this time he was swirling a glass of dark red wine in his hand. </p>
<p>Ignis said, “I propose the next contest be a wrestling match.” </p>
<p>Hope flooded Prompto. Ignis might not be giant, but he was strong, and he was quick and flexible enough to hold his own against even Gladio. Prompto had seen them training in the yard a few times (and that had nothing to do with feeding any crush anybody might have, nope). The only problem was, Ardyn would never agree. </p>
<p>“Agreed,” said Ardyn, and sipped wine. “Have you any conditions?” </p>
<p>“No magic,” said Ignis. </p>
<p>“Oh, you've no sense of adventure. But all right. Now, that means I have a condition of my own to set...”  A smile spread across his face. “I know. Have you heard of the tradition in distant lands of grappling while oiled? I propose we use an oil of my own devising. There will be no magic in the match itself, but just a hint in its manufacture.” </p>
<p>“To fatal effect, no doubt,” said Ignis.</p>
<p>“Why, of course not. That would ruin the game. No, this has no harmful results whatsoever, and moreover shall affect me in precisely the same manner as you. It only enhances the senses a bit, to make for a better match. It's a very old and respected recipe. Is that acceptable?” </p>
<p>Ignis looked doubtful, but he must have figured that was the best deal he would get. “Agreed.” </p>
<p>“Marvelous. I shall see you in the east wing's tournament ring at high noon.” With a raise of his wine glass toward them, Ardyn vanished. </p>
<p>Prompto said to the emptied room, “There's a tournament ring?”</p>
<hr/>
<p>Ignis was not startled when he walked through a door into a enormous arena open to the sky. That sort of trick could only take him by surprise once. What took him aback was the crowd. </p>
<p>The stands were filled with a panoply of creatures, from armored ogrish hulks to dark-robed floating figures and small chittering goblins. They jumped and roared when Ignis and Prompto walked in from one entrance and the sorcerer arrived from another. </p>
<p>“This was not part of the agreement,” Ignis said. He was already in a less than ideal mood, given that he was wearing nothing but the light robe and short leather trousers that were all the enchanted chest in his room would provide for him today. Doubtless discomfiting him was the point. He refused to be distracted when Prompto's freedom was at stake. </p>
<p>“There is no cause for alarm. They won't interfere.” The sorcerer also wore a robe that was belted about his waist, though his was of scarlet silk and more like a boxer's than his former ornate garments. “We could hardly have a proper match without an audience.” </p>
<p>In the center of the arena was a raised platform floored in padded canvas. Beside the steps that lead up its side was a table holding a large silver pitcher with a narrow spout. The sorcerer spread his arms, and a woman with an enormous spider in place of her lower body removed the robe from his shoulders, leaving him clad in only his gloves and short trousers. Any hopes that his focus on the arcane would mean neglecting his physical condition were disappointed; he was solidly built, with strength in the broadness of his shoulders. The hair on his chest and arms was a dark maroon. Ignis was not discouraged. He had plenty of experience in using his speed and flexibility against a larger, stronger opponent. </p>
<p>“Woah,” Prompto said. “Jacked wizard!” </p>
<p>“Why thank you.” The sorcerer smiled as the spider-woman bore his robe away. “Have you brought Forganhelm's Glyph of Impeccable Verification?”</p>
<p>Prompto said, “No, but I have the truth rock.” </p>
<p>“Wonderful.” The sorcerer slapped his hands together. “The rules are standard. The winner of the match shall be the first to reach into the other's trousers and-”</p>
<p>“That's absurd,” said Ignis. </p>
<p>“Very well,” the sorcerer said, “then the winner shall be the one to force the other outside the ring or to pin his shoulders to the mat for three full seconds. Is that more to your liking?” </p>
<p>“Acceptable.” </p>
<p>They were waiting for him, Ignis knew. While it was not entirely comfortable to disrobe in front of a malevolent magician, a crowd of murmuring monsters, and a Crownsguard compatriot, he would do what he must. It was only fair. He had seen Prompto far more exposed. </p>
<p>He removed his glasses and robe and handed them to Prompto. That is, he held them in Prompto's direction and eventually said, “Prompto, if you would hold onto these?” </p>
<p>“Right!” Prompto said, blinking rapidly and snapping into motion. “Yeah. Leave it to me!” </p>
<p>The sorcerer lifted the pitcher and poured a stream of oil onto his chest. It was a colorless and not visibly remarkable substance that he spread thoroughly across his arms and torso until his skin shone. Harmless, he had claimed, but Ignis did not miss the way his pupils widened. </p>
<p>The sorcerer handed the pitcher to Ignis. “You'll want a good, thorough coating.” </p>
<p>Given a crafty enough mind, the definition of “harmless” could be stretched in many directions. Ignis poured a trickle of oil onto his forearm and braced for pain.</p>
<p>There was none. It was viscous, lukewarm, and as inoffensive as olive oil. Ignis waited for a count of ten, ignoring the sorcerer's pointed cough, and continued the application when there were no detectable ill effects. </p>
<p>“I'm sure Prompto could help you reach those places on your back,” the sorcerer suggested. </p>
<p>“That's quite all right,” said Ignis, perhaps a little hastily. </p>
<p>The oil did not feel at all unpleasant. It warmed to his skin, and there was an interesting sensation to rubbing it between his fingers. Ignis spread it across his chest, ignoring how nerves and the cool air had caused his nipples to harden, then over his back and down his arms. The light hair there felt more distinct than it did ordinarily. He ran his hand up and down his forearm a few times to gauge the feeling.</p>
<p>When he looked up the sorcerer was smiling. </p>
<p>The sorcerer waved his hand toward a balcony on the first level of the stands, just above the ring. “The place of honor, of course, is for our judge.” </p>
<p>Prompto trotted up the stairs and took the seat in front of the ranks of strange creatures. An imp handed him what appeared to be a bag of peanuts. </p>
<p>Ignis said, “Let us begi-- Prompto, don't eat that.” </p>
<p>“They're good!” Prompto called. </p>
<p>The sorcerer climbed to the ring and raised his arms to deafening hoots and screeches from the uncanny assemblage. Ignis took his place at the other side. They stood ready, and silence fell. </p>
<p>“Oh,” said Prompto, “am I supposed to call it?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” the sorcerer said without looking away from Ignis's eyes. </p>
<p>“Okay.” Prompto took a deep breath and  called out, “Start!” </p>
<p>In hopes of startling his opponent off balance and putting the match to a quick end, Ignis seized the momentum and charged. He grabbed the sorcerer around the midriff and attempted a hip throw. </p>
<p>Had a part of him expected ice to flow in the sorcerer's veins? Had he been prepared for his skin to deliver a painful jolt, or to be unrelenting as stone, or for him to vanish from his grasp like smoke? It should not have been the shock it was when the body Ignis grasped was that of a human man. The skin he sought hold on was warm and made supple by the oil. He stood firm and deftly avoided Ignis's attempt to hook his ankle with his foot.</p>
<p>So much for an easy victory. Ignis sought a better grasp. His fingers slid across the sorcerer's slick back, and his grapple was repaid in kind. The sorcerer's broad palm traveled down his shoulderblade, the friction eased by the oil so that it became strangely vivid, his fingertips and the subtle texture of his glove all creating a distinct impression on Ignis's skin. </p>
<p>It was...violently pleasant. </p>
<p>Ignis caught his lapse in attention the moment he saw the sorcerer smile. </p>
<p>The sorcerer ducked low, planted his shoulder in Ignis's midsection, and flipped him over his back. The stands full of roaring multihued creatures revolved in Ignis's vision. However, his balance was impeccable. In an instant he had seized his equilibrium and twisted in midair. He hit the ground on his feet, and the howls of monsters were cut through by Prompto's cheers. </p>
<p>He had a moment to catch his breath. A pace away, the sorcerer ran his hand down his own arm. “A remarkable substance, isn't it? Be a good boy and lose quickly, and I will let you truly appreciate the effects at my hand.” </p>
<p>Sensory enhancement. Of course. </p>
<p>The oil seemed to hold the residual heat of the sorcerer's body against Ignis's skin. “Not a chance.” </p>
<p>Just as he expected, the sorcerer struck before the sentence was complete. He grasped Ignis in a bear hug about the waist, and Ignis fought to keep stable while also fighting the way the feeling of the sorcerer's chest against his threatened to occupy the whole of his attention. He twisted in the sorcerer's arms until he found his footing. They strained against one another, a constant force of bodies in opposition, at a standstill but for minute adjustments of footing that Ignis struggled to use to force the sorcerer toward the ring's edge, inch by inch. He did not have time to notice that Prompto's voice had fallen silent.</p>
<p>Control over his body was paramount. Ignis narrowed his concentration to the right angle of attack and ignored the intensity of the sorcerer's hands on the small of his back, the tickle of his absurd purple hair against his shoulder, and the scratch of a stubbled cheek wedged against his neck. He gained determination in realizing the sorcerer's breath was quick as well. He was not unaffected.  Ignis refused to acknowledge the sorcerer's fingers adjusting their hold in what was transparently a caress. Any hunger in him was a purely mechanical physical response, and he directed the energy into the strength of his opposition. </p>
<p>“A shame to waste such a magnificent body on brawling,” the sorcerer murmured, “when it would be so better suited to the delights of the flesh.” </p>
<p>Ignis said, “Are you attempting to fight me or seduce me?” </p>
<p>The sorcerer laughed. </p>
<p>Ignis took the opening. He relented for an instant, then twisted and shoved with all his might. A satisfying look of surprise struck the sorcerer's face as he stumbled backwards toward the edge of the ring, but he kept a grip on Ignis's forearm and hauled him along. As Ignis was nearly pulled off his feet his eyes whipped across the stands, across armored creatures and little green things and Prompto.</p>
<p>Prompto's eyes were wide, his lips half-open. The bag of peanuts hung loosely from his hand. He was gazing rapt at the both of them with the same look Ignis must have worn when he had burst into the tower to find him wrapped in vines and ecstasy. </p>
<p>When time snapped back into motion, the sorcerer was kicking Ignis's legs out from under him. </p>
<p>The mat struck Ignis's back at the same moment the sorcerer's body covered him. He struggled against the weight, but was trapped like a scrap of paper beneath a stone. There must have been a count. </p>
<p>The crowd went silent. The sorcerer stood. Ignis remained on his back. He turned his face to a sideways view of Prompto in the seat of honor, where he bore a stricken expression and the stone that witnessed truth.</p>
<p>Ignis had failed. </p>
<p>Prompto's hand held a green glow as he said, in a small voice, “Ardyn wins.” </p>
<p>The monstrous onlookers erupted in stomping, screeching, and yowls of victory. The sorcerer took a bow with impeccable though outdated form. </p>
<p>“Thank you, thank you,” the sorcerer said. “I hope you had a lovely show. Back to your dimensions, now.” </p>
<p>He snapped his fingers and the creatures vanished, leaving silence. </p>
<p>As Ignis sat up, Prompto leapt out of the stands and ran to his side. “You okay? That stuff didn't do something to you, did it?” </p>
<p>“Aren't you going to offer me your congratulations?” the sorcerer said. He glistened with sweat and oil. </p>
<p>“Yeah, yeah,” Prompto said without looking. He reached down to help Ignis up. “Here.” </p>
<p>“Best not,” Ignis said. He got to his feet. To touch Prompto in this state would be counterproductive. His heartrate would take some time to return to normal as it was. “The substance is not harmful, but far from trustworthy.” </p>
<p>“It seems we stand at one victory each.” Triumph curved the sorcerer's lips into a catlike bow. “The next shall decide for all. Generous man that I am, I shall give you a day's time to rest and regroup. Oh, but don't become dejected about the loss.” </p>
<p>The sorcerer lifted his arm toward the pitcher of oil that stood by the ring. </p>
<p>“I shall leave you that as a consolation prize.” </p>
<p>The shape of his body shifted. He became a black eagle and launched himself through the open roof into the sky. </p>
<p>Prompto squinted upwards and said, “Show-off.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ignis had gone to take a bath, and Prompto was in his room trying not to do something you definitely should not do while thinking about a wizard and a friend. He was just going to stare at the wall and think about rocks until the thought of slippery skin and shiny muscled backs went away. It just stuck in his head some, the way the two of them had been struggling put their faces really close together, and how for a second there when Ardyn was grabbing onto Ignis's shoulder, Prompto had been sure they were going to kiss. </p>
<p>Woah! Weird thought, buddy! Let's back off on that, huh? </p>
<p>He was jut thinking he could use a distraction when a bat flew in the window and dropped an envelope on his lap. </p>
<p>“Thanks, little dude,” Prompto said. He gave it a grape from the bowl on the table that was always full of fruit, and it went and hung out on top of the wardrobe, nibbling. </p>
<p>Prompto knew Noct had to spend hours learning fancy princely calligraphy, but this letter was in the messy scrawl he used when he was just being him. It said:</p>
<p>
  <i>Glad you're both okay.<br/>Come home soon.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Noct</i>
</p>
<p><i>p.s. so when I want to send you something do I just hand it to a bat or what</i> </p>
<p>That was Noct, all right. Alive and well. Prompto laughed, and was smacked right in the face with how much he missed him. </p>
<p>He stuck the letter in his pocket, made sure the window was open for the bat, and headed out of his room. The castle was huge, and he'd accidentally walked into a room carved out of ice and one full of trees already, but by now he knew the way to the important places. He went down the hall, climbed the stairs, and knocked at the marked door. It swung open. </p>
<p>“Why, Prompto,” said Ardyn, slung over an armchair by the green fire in the fireplace with a book in his lap, “do come in.”</p>
<p>He was flicking his finger around to move a little ball of light that an imp was chasing. He must've taken a bath too, or done some bath magic, if that was a thing. He wasn't half-naked anymore, either. He was in a robe like normal. This one looked like it was covered in tiny scales and was all in stripes, red yellow black yellow. </p>
<p>The door closed behind Prompto. He couldn't help his eyes from roving around. Each time he came in, he saw something he hadn't noticed before. This time his attention got caught by a black bird figure with gold glinting out through scratches in the paint and a little glass box with a piece of lightning running frozen from corner to corner. </p>
<p>“Don't be shy,” Ardyn said. He flicked the ball of light around and the imp scrambled after it over the coffee table. His voice dropped low, but was still friendly. “You may touch whatever you like in here.” </p>
<p>The glass felt cold to his fingertips, with just a little bit of a buzz. Prompto said, “Ooh.” </p>
<p>"To be quite honest, I am surprise to find you making a social call to me, after today's events." </p>
<p>"Nah." Prompto turned away from the cool stuff on the shelf and came toward him. The total darkness of the rug in the middle of the room always freaked him out a little; he felt like he was going to fall down a pit when he set foot on the black. "Fair's fair, and I can't be mad at you for being good at wrestling." </p>
<p>When he looked up from the carpet, Ardyn was looking at him in a way that made his heart jump. Not a scary way - something kind of appreciative and sad. </p>
<p>"Foul's fair. But don't despair. Rumpelstiltskin's name is never given on the second day." Then he smiled, and whatever it had been was gone. "Now, to what do I owe the pleasure?” </p>
<p>Prompto said, “Can I see Noct?” </p>
<p>“What a fascinating question.” Ardyn gestured and the ball flew upwards. The imp jumped and swiped at it. “Can you?” </p>
<p>The thing about the all-powerful sorcerer who ruled this place was he was kind of a dork. Prompto said,  “I mean, will you do a magic thing and show me him?” </p>
<p>“No.” Ardyn twitched his fingers and the light hovered just out of the imp's grasp. He gestured in a swish of sleeve that was in a different pattern from the rest. Red black yellow black. “Take the teapot and go fetch water.” </p>
<p>Swallowing down his disappointment, Prompto took the flower-patterned teapot off the coffee table and went downstairs. There were probably magic wells somewhere, full of mermaids or frogs that'd once been people who got on the wizard's nerves. Prompto just used the kitchen sink. Ignis wasn't around; he must've been making a strategy for the contest tomorrow, the one that would decide if Prompto ever got to see his friends again. Doing random chores was better than sitting around thinking about that too much. </p>
<p>He went back up to Ardyn's study and set the teapot down. He was going to leave, but without looking up from his book, Ardyn said, “Bring out the obsidian bowl from the closet. Oh, and four black candles. The tall thin sort.” </p>
<p>It was a good thing he was specific; there were a lot of black candles in there. Prompto grabbed three, and found the bowl on the shelf in a stack between a blue one with moving clouds on it and one covered in little hieroglyphics of cats. </p>
<p>“Found them!” Prompto said as he came out with his arms full. </p>
<p>“Wonderful.” Ardyn was leading the imp around in a quick little circle while it growled and flapped its wings for balance. “Now, set the bowl on the table and fill it with water. Candles at the cardinal points.” </p>
<p>“The who now?” Prompto said, pouring the water. </p>
<p>“Left, right, below, and above.” </p>
<p>When he put them there, Ardyn snapped his fingers and the candles lit up. Just regular orange fire. Prompto watched himself looking up from the surface of the water, with the four flames around his face like stars. </p>
<p>Ardyn tossed the ball of light across the room. The imp crouched down and stared, then burst into motion and almost got it before it jumped up the wall. </p>
<p>“Look into the water and think deeply of your friend,” Ardyn said, in a low hypnotic voice. </p>
<p>Prompto stopped listening to the crackle of the fire and the scrabble of the imp hopping up the wall. He thought about Noct riding chocobos in the woods with him, Noct sitting on the steps in the palace and laughing at some dumb joke he'd made, Noct showing him the darkroom he'd had set up and acting like the nicest thing anybody had ever done for Prompto was no big deal. </p>
<p>Ardyn said, “Picture him as clearly as you can.” </p>
<p>Prompto could do that. Not like how he'd been when Prompto left, but how he was supposed to be; hair all careless and falling in his face like most people would have to work for an hour every morning to have it do, blue eyes, and the kind of face you could call pretty when you wanted him to laugh and punch you in the arm. </p>
<p>“Got it,” Prompto said, soft so he wouldn't break his own concentration. </p>
<p>“Now the invoking rhyme. Speak what you wish to see.” </p>
<p>It took a second, but he got one.</p>
<p>“Water, water, dark and deep,” Prompto chanted, “show me Noct – he might be asleep.” </p>
<p>The water was black. The surface trembled, and so did something in Prompto's brain. </p>
<p>The water broke into colors.</p>
<p>It took a second to realize the pattern was the white marble walls and red tapestries of the hallway in the castle. It was moving, because Noct was walking. He was talking to somebody. He was thinner than he used to be, but there was color in his face and his eyes were clear. </p>
<p>It was like holding position at the top of a pull-up, but with his mind. Prompto let out his breath and the image vanished. Prompto's reflection looked up at him, blinking fast and smiling dizzily in relief. The concentration it took left him lightheaded and he didn't even care. Noct was okay. </p>
<p>“And that,” said Ardyn, “is how one performs a simple scrying.” </p>
<p>He was watching Prompto with his hands folded and a funny little smile on his face. The imp was over in the corner of the room, gnawing on the ball of light. </p>
<p>“It worked!” Prompto jumped to his feet, though that made the room revolve a little. “I skrid!” </p>
<p>“So you did,” said Ardyn. </p>
<p>“I totally did magic! That's so...” His brow furrowed. “Wait a minute. You don't actually have to rhyme, do you.” </p>
<p>“Not technically,” Ardyn admitted without even a little bit of shame, “but style is everything.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>The baths were peaceful and silent. Reflections of light played on the walls. Ignis sank into the water and focused on getting the oil from his skin and the loss from his mind. </p>
<p>Both were easier said than done. The stubborn oil repelled the water and encouraged slow, meandering strokes of the soaped washcloth rather than the vigorous scrubbing the task truly required. </p>
<p>It was the sorcerer's arrogance that made Ignis seethe, precisely as he suspected it was meant to. He had been so certain that Ardyn would attempt to distract or unsettle him by painful or malicious means that he had not been prepared for this angle of attack. The oversight was inexcusable. However, berating himself would do no one any good. He needed to take this moment to clear his head and be ready for the deciding contest. He could not fail a comrade by leaving him to spend his life imprisoned any more than he could fail his prince by returning empty-handed. </p>
<p>Ignis got the cloth thoroughly soaped and worked it up and down his arm. All he needed to do was best the sorcerer once more. He knew he was capable. Ignis had made the mistake of assuming the man would be hobbled without his magic, yet he had proven himself formidable physically as well. Doubtless he took pleasure in the unpleasant surprise his muscular solidity provided.  The body Ignis had struggled against had pushed back with confident, decisive actions. Yet that in itself raised his hopes. It was a body that was powerful, but powerful in perfectly human terms. The sorcerer was not invincible. One could imagine knocking him off balance with a well-calculated blow, pressing the advantage to throw him down onto his back, and replacing the catlike smug smile with a look of astonishment and respect. </p>
<p>Ignis found that he was hard. </p>
<p>Bloody oil. </p>
<p>Ah well. He had time and privacy. Best to get it out of his system and be rid of the distraction.  </p>
<p>He set the washcloth aside, let out a long sigh, and sank up to his neck in the water. He allowed his hands to explore himself, traveling down his chest and absorbing the way the lingering oil sharpened the sensation of his fingers down his ribs. He stroked over the ridge of his hips, where the memory of the sorcerer's grip lingered. It would be satisfying to see someone like that taught a little humility. To see him with his absurd garish robes stripped away, down on his knees for a mere mortal. </p>
<p>Ignis's hand wrapped around his cock's base. His head sank back against the tile, and the motion of his hand made the water tap against the edge of the pool in rhythmic waves. The oil had spread to Ignis's lower regions, and the fierce strike of pleasure made him take his lip between his teeth. Too much tile here to risk noise. Any sound would carry. </p>
<p>Yes, the sorcerer acting in something as fallible as lust would be a beautiful sight. Let his mouth be filled with a cock rather than taunts and provocation, and let him be as helpless in the pursuit of pleasure as Prompto had been in the grasp of his caressing vines. Let the wrestling match have ended with him the one on his back and Ignis above him, holding his body to the canvas with superior leverage, giving him a taste of vulnerability. </p>
<p>Ignis's hand moved more urgently. His other drifted up to toy with his nipples. He was ready for the oil's sensitization, but the intensity still made him suck air through his teeth.</p>
<p>He would fill his hand with the sorcerer's ridiculous hair and yank his head back to expose his throat to his bite. He would hook his legs beneath the knees, fold him in half, and plunge his cock inside of him, making him cry out in desire for one he had treated as a toy, make him admit it, with Prompto watching every moment-</p>
<p>Ignis bit down on the back of his hand as he came. His muscles jumped, and his ass smacked against the side of the pool. He drew quick, silenced breaths, and warmth soaked him like a sheet of summer rain. </p>
<p>With that finished, his mind was indeed clearer. </p>
<p>He took a moment to lean back, look up at the water's shadows on the white ceiling, and catch his breath. That had been an odd collection of images. So that was how his frustration chose to manifest itself. He could not say he was shocked that Prompto had made an appearance, but that too was safely miles away from any possibility of reality, especially now that he had proven what lengths he would go to for his prince. Ignis would never lay a hand on the exuberant, loyal, trusting fellow Crownsguard. Passion was for those with a more conventionally functional heart. </p>
<p>Ignis took up the washcloth and worked away any trace of oil. </p>
<p>He dried himself, found clothing in a chest that would now thankfully produce something other than leather trousers, and returned to the main castle. </p>
<p>He spent the rest of the day familiarizing himself with the castle's layout, for reasons of genuine interest and also in case he and Prompto would need to make a hasty retreat, should they be victorious and meet with the sorcerer's wrath. Contract or no, Ignis doubted he would be a graceful loser. Subdued submission was purely in the realm of fantasy. The situation if the sorcerer should win did not require contemplating. </p>
<p>In the evening Prompto appeared in surprisingly high spirits. He chattered all the while as Ignis made them dinner in the castle's expansive kitchen. He had a great deal of faith in Ignis. It would be justified. Ignis would make sure of that. </p>
<p>The choice of the next contest belonged to the sorcerer. There was no telling what he would propose, so it was necessary to be ready for anything. Ignis made a point of getting a good night's sleep in his tower room. </p>
<p>In the morning, the kitchen counter he had left spotless now had a ruby-colored egg with a nearly translucent shell sitting balanced on end by the cutting board. A faint golden glow seemed to come from within. On the shell in a flowing script was written the words, <i>Break me</i>. Ignis picked it up and gave it a crack on the edge of the counter. </p>
<p>Golden letters spilled into the air and formed the words <i>MEET ME IN THE CONSERVATORY</i>. </p>
<p>Prompto said, “Fancy egg.”</p>
<p>The designated room was glass of wall and ceiling and filled with exotic plants. Hummingbirds buzzed through the air, as did equally jewel-toned bees. On the other side of the walls one could see endless lawns that conflicted completely with the barren red mountainside one viewed from other windows in the castle. The place was rather peaceful, and there was no disputing the beauty of the blossoms that filled all available space. Ignis breathed in the flower-perfumed air, let it center him, then rounded a planter to confront the sorcerer with Prompto at his side. </p>
<p>“Good morning to you,” the sorcerer said. He set down the can he was using to water a hydrangea. He was clad in a robe made of rose petals held together with links of bent thorn. It was all of a soft pink but for the withered petals that cuffed his left sleeve, and it clashed entirely with his customary black gloves. </p>
<p>“Morning!” said Prompto. </p>
<p>“Have you decided on a proposal for the final contest?” said Ignis. He put aside any thoughts of the previous loss, or of how the sorcerer would look if one was gazing down from above. Today there was only one goal; win Prompto's freedom, come what may. </p>
<p>“I did have a notion,” said the sorcerer. A knowing smile hovered at the corners of his mouth. “There are several elaborate possibilities, of course, but I believe it would be best to keep things simple. A purity of focus can be a marvelous thing. I propose we engage in a basic competition of prowess.” </p>
<p>“In what field?” said Ignis. He did not let the sorcerer's gestures distract his eye.</p>
<p>“A worthy classic,” the sorcerer said. He opened his hands as if making an offering. “A kiss.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Prompto was just going to have to blink and stare and try to figure out if he'd heard that right. </p>
<p>Ignis said, “A kiss with whom?” </p>
<p>The rose petals on Ardyn's sleeves rippled and waved when he gestured to Prompto.“Why, our judge, of course.” </p>
<p>Maybe something in that gesture was a spell that did a little zap to Prompto's heart. </p>
<p>Ignis resettled his glasses on his nose. He looked like Ardyn had just challenged him to doing some accounting. Wait, they should totally do that, Ignis would be amazing. “You'll recall the rules state anything involving Prompto requires his free agreement.” </p>
<p>“Yes, yes, Paragraph Seven, between 'Permitted Persuasions' and 'Mind-Altering Enchantments, Prohibition of.' You draft a devilish document, Count Scientia, and I say that as a man who has made several  transactions with devils.” He turned to Prompto with a questioning look. Had Prompto ever noticed that his lips were really pink before? Like, a dark pink. It must've been the rose petal robe giving contrast. “Well then, what do you say? One kiss from each of us, and the better man takes the prize.”</p>
<p>Ignis's face was unreadable, and that kind of hurt. A hummingbird darted by between them and his eyes didn't flicker. It wasn't like the idea of kissing Prompto should've made him go wild or anything, but he could at least look less than totally bored.  Prompto hadn't seen him that blank since the time they'd gone to the chocobo races and Ignis had spent most of it nodding along like he was humoring them, then by the end of the day he'd cleaned house because he'd actually done a ton of research and bet like a pro. </p>
<p>Wait a minute.</p>
<p>Ignis had to know about Prompto's crush. He was brilliant, and by now it wasn't that good of a secret anyway. He knew they had the home field advantage.</p>
<p>That wasn't indifference. It was a poker face.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Prompto said. His teeth dragged over his lower lip. His blood was moving quick. They could do this. It'd be awkward for a minute, but when they got home it'd be a funny thing to tell Noct and Gladio about. “I'm okay with it. I mean, if Iggy is.” </p>
<p>Eyes on the wizard, Ignis said, “I am amenable.” </p>
<p>This couldn't really be happening. Prompto could believe wizards and monsters and magic treasure chests a lot easier than he could believe he'd be lucky enough to get a kiss from Ignis, which was a thing he'd wanted since he'd met his friend's adviser who happened to be gorgeous and intimidating but actually really cool when you got to know him. Sure, he'd have to kiss Ardyn too, but that wouldn't be so bad. It wasn't like he was ugly. It wasn't like it hadn't made Prompto's stomach jump in a nice way when he'd taken him to that tower in the jungle and said <i>Up for a little fun?</i> and watched those vines undress him, and when he'd laughed at how Prompto was impressed that the magic vines could handle buttons. Prompto had thought he would kiss him, then.</p>
<p>“Magnificent,” Ardyn said. “Have you any conditions to propose?” </p>
<p>“No magic,” said Ignis. </p>
<p>“How miserly. You would deprive your friend of so many unique sensations. A judicious touch of my power can bring a strong man to his knees.” </p>
<p>While Prompto kept quiet and was definitely not curious, Ignis said, “Do you agree?” </p>
<p>“Condition accepted.” Ardyn waved his hand, and the brown rose petals on the cuff of his robe rustled. “Mine in return is that neither of us uses his hands. This is a battle of lips alone.” </p>
<p>“Accepted,” said Ignis. His spine was straight and his hands were folded behind his back. Prompto looked anywhere except at his mouth. </p>
<p>“Now,” said Ardyn, with a smile it was no good trying to look away from, “how shall we mete out the privilege of going first?” </p>
<p>“Oh, I know!” Prompto fished a coin out of his pocket. “Call it.” </p>
<p>He flicked it in the air, and Ardyn said “Eagle and thunderbolt” at the same time as Ignis said, “Heads.” </p>
<p>Prompto caught the coin and smacked it down on his hand. When he looked, Noct's great-great-grandfather or somebody looked back. </p>
<p>He lifted his face and ran smack into Iggy's eyes. There was a thing people said about your heart being lodged in your throat. Prompto was pretty sure his was somewhere up around his windpipe, thudding so that it sent hard humming knocks up into his brain. The greenhouse room was full of heavy flower smells that soaked into his lungs. </p>
<p>“Well then,” Ardyn said, stepping back, "he's all yours.” </p>
<p>The greenest thing in the room was Ignis's eyes. He didn't say anything, just came closer as confidently as he did everything. The damp in the air was making his hair fan out a little where it stood up in front like a palm frond. The button-up shirt he must have gotten out of one of the magic chests was shiny and silvery. Ardyn was a blurry pink shape behind him.</p>
<p>Before he could help it, Prompto's eyes were shut. </p>
<p>For a second Prompto listened to the sound of bees droning through the air and was suddenly sure that none of this was happening. He'd open his eyes and he'd be looking at the stone ceiling over his bunk in the barracks, and he'd go tell Noct all about the bizarre dream he'd had. There was no such thing as wizards, and no such thing as Ignis kissing him. </p>
<p>In the middle of a breath Ignis's lips touched his. Just rested there for a second, like a bee landing on a flower petal, testing its weight. Prompto leaned closer and had to remember to keep his hands down. Ignis's lips moved against his, and he smelled like lemon and rosemary. He pressed more firmly, and Prompto pulled in a quick breath through his nose like he'd missed his footing on a slippery road. Ignis slid his tongue over Prompto's lips, and Prompto's mouth opened to let him explore. He could've laughed, because that was Ignis for you – even his mouth had dignity. But patience wasn't really Prompto's thing. He pushed for all he could get, and Ignis's soft sound of surprise turned into a <i>hmm</i> that was right at the level to melt his mind into a deep gold puddle. Ignis kept the kiss long and slow, like a drawn-out note from a musician, until Prompto lost track of time and gravity and wasn't sure if his feet were on the ground. He knit his fingers together behind him, held on tight, and had this. </p>
<p>There were those times where you only realized how close you'd been to dreaming when you opened your eyes and were surprised to be where you were. When Iggy stepped back, Prompto was in a room that was green with plants and bright with sun through all the glass. He couldn't stop his tongue from darting out over his lips anymore than he could stop himself from blinking. </p>
<p>A huge yellow butterfly landed on Iggy's shoulder and fanned its wings.</p>
<p>“Iggy...” Prompto said, with a mouth that still felt like him. </p>
<p>“Now,” said the sorcerer, and Prompto jolted to remember he'd been there the whole time, “it is my turn.” </p>
<p>He came towards Prompto with slow steps that swished the rose petals on the hem of his robe along the ground. The closer he got, the more you saw the bent thorns that knitted them together. Within three steps he loomed. Prompto stared up at the maroon stubble on the underside of his chin and thought blankly about how ridiculously tall he was. He had to bend down a lot.</p>
<p>It wasn't lightning, or a transformation, or a magic spell getting latched around him. It was just like getting a kiss from a man who hadn't shaved in a while and who tasted like mint tea. Ardyn dove in faster and sharper than Ignis, but then he drew back so Prompto had to chase him. His tongue darted around, teasing him, and Prompto's head was full enough of that that it took a minute to realize this was a kiss goodbye. Once he went home he'd never see Ardyn again, and for as weird and scary as he as, he'd shown Prompto amazing things. He'd taught Prompto how to see things in water, and he'd saved Noct's life. Prompto could feel how large he was. It was like being in a building's shadow, but at the same time he felt so human that it made Prompto's heart go tight. Prompto pressed into the kiss and ran his tongue against his, and Ardyn made a soft laugh in his throat that buzzed against Prompto's lips and sank into his body. </p>
<p>Maybe just a little lightning.</p>
<p>When Ardyn stepped away Prompto still smelled roses.</p>
<p>Ardyn and Ignis stood and looked at him. The butterfly flitted off of Iggy to fly away in lazy loops, and there was color in his face. It really was warm in here. Ardyn had that little cat-smirk on his face like a film of oil on water, and his eyes looked strange after seeing them so close up.</p>
<p>Prompto pulled the truth rock out of his pocket. It was hen's-egg sized, and not very heavy in his palm. </p>
<p><i>Bye, Ardyn. Thanks for the little gummy square things, and for letting me pet your cockatrice, and for really existing.</i> His throat wouldn't let him say it out loud. </p>
<p>He breathed in deep and said, “Ignis was better.” </p>
<p>In the center of his hand, pale in the bright sunlight, the stone glowed red. </p>
<p>Prompto's stomach slammed through the ground. Ignis's mouth fell open and he took a half step forward. Ardyn's eyebrows were high arches and his eyes were wide. It couldn't be. The magic was broken, or there was some mistake. </p>
<p>Prompto pushed the whisper past his teeth. “Ardyn was better.” </p>
<p>A hummingbird zipped by behind him. He didn't turn. His eyes were stuck on the stone's red light. </p>
<p>“I...” Prompto's voice didn't come out quite right. He smelled roses and lemon. He swallowed and tried again, and the stone didn't turn green until he'd finished saying, “I can't decide.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>“My, my,” the sorcerer said, with the slowed inflection of an actor who had lost his place in the script. “It appears we are at an impasse.” </p>
<p>“Yet you are not impassive,” said Ignis. His back was straight and his mouth tasted of Prompto's sighs. Perhaps if the stage had been a dungeon, or the shadowy and candlelit great hall, he would have faced the sorcerer with fear. In a sunlit conservatory before a planter full of begonias and basil, it was conceivable to face him down. </p>
<p>Though Ignis had been ready to intervene at the first sign of foul play, the sorcerer had, to all appearances, been a gentleman. His face had been open in its passion, and to watch had had the same feeling of trespass as it would have to watch him sleep, if whatever sort of creature he was did such a thing. In kissing Prompto he must have tasted Ignis as well. Prompto's flavor lingered on Ignis's lips, held close by the warmth in the air. Ignis had heard Prompto making soft sounds into the sorcerer's mouth, and had known the texture of his voice from experience. </p>
<p>He must think of the future.</p>
<p>“What now?” said Prompto. Color was high in his face. The enchanted stone he clutched had lost its glow, perhaps unable to handle questions. “Do I, like, go home for half the year?” </p>
<p>“Oh, pomegranates!” the sorcerer said. “I should have provided some of those.” </p>
<p>'The possibility was part of our agreement,” said Ignis. It was difficult to make words attach to one another as they should. All the rich perfumes of the flowers could not drive Prompto's scent from his airways. “In the event of a tie, we  hold another competition. Sudden death.” His eyes cut to Ardyn. “Which is not to include any actual murder.” </p>
<p>“I never proposed it should,” said the sorcerer, with the gall to look as though it were an unreasonable assumption.</p>
<p>“So we keep going,” Prompto said. Between his lips and the sorcerer's robes, the world had a great deal of conspicuous pink on display. </p>
<p>“Indeed.” The sorcerer's yellow eyes gazed at Prompto with more warmth than was called for. “Well. In that case, and in recognition for coming so far, I shall give you both a gift.” </p>
<p>He clapped his hands, and Ignis's eyes were drawn to a low plant that spread along the edge of the flowerbed. After a moment it stirred and began to grow two royal blue buds. The buds expanded until they were hand-long and rose on their stems, one toward Prompto and one toward Ignis. They hung inclined, expectant, like a courtier offering a hand to be kissed. Understanding, Ignis cupped his hands beneath the bud, and after a moment Prompto did the same. When the flowers drew back their petals in bloom, they deposited a small object into each waiting grasp. </p>
<p>“Cool,” Prompto said, wide-eyed.</p>
<p>What they both held was what appeared to be a lady's compact, much like the one Ignis had been given in the jungle room to see Prompto's captured and teased in the grip of Ardyn's vines. Ignis felt a slight heat rise in his skin, and examined the item more closely rather than risk meeting Prompto's eyes. It was identical down to the black chocobo mark, though that could be camouflage to lower one's guard to malevolent magic. </p>
<p>“Aw,” said Prompto, “it's cute.” </p>
<p>Ignis eased the lid open a crack. When it failed to fold out into a hole in space like the last or burst into flames on a whim, he opened it completely. His own face looked back at him in a mirror, both perfectly ordinary. Slightly flushed, in the case of the former. Perhaps with lips of a deeper than usual color. </p>
<p>“A bit of convenience,” said the sorcerer, and Ignis, Prompto, and the flowers all raised their faces to his voice. “Have you need of me, only speak my name and you may converse with me without traipsing the winding road to my study. But should traipsing suit your mood, you may also summon up a map of the castle and grounds. You've the free run of the place and may explore to your heart's content. The only exception is my quarters, of course. Those require an invitation.” </p>
<p>The sway of his voice into rich suggestion was as much as an invitation itself. </p>
<p>“We shall reconvene tomorrow to set a tiebreaker. The choice of contest falls once again to you, my dear Ignis. I trust you will make good use of the day to make your deliberations. As for you, Prompto, given that you remain in my service, you have chores to do. Be a lamb, go dust the candelabras in the great hall and feed the pit fiend.”</p>
<p>Prompto said, “Kay.” </p>
<p>“Well then,” said the sorcerer, stepping back and spreading his arms, “until our true final contest.” </p>
<p>In a swirl of rose petals, he was gone.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The torches on the wall pressed their heat to Ignis's back every few steps along their circuit of the walkway. </p>
<p>Prompto forked a chunk of meat from the bucket and said, “Are you mad?” </p>
<p>“Ah,” Igis said, pulled from his thoughts. “About?” </p>
<p>Prompto leaned over the dark abyss that made up the center of the room and shook the fork until the gobbet of meat fell. A moment later there was a snarling, gnashing noise from the pit's depths. It was a steep drop with no railing, and Ignis stayed near enough to grab Prompto should he lose his balance. </p>
<p>“The thing. The contest. What I said.” The torchlight dyed Prompto's hair in waves of orange and gold. “I mean, you were supposed to win, and you should've, you were good, I mean really really good, you're a super talented guy, but then, I thought he'd just be gross and old but then it was <i>nice</i>, and I got all confused, and how do you even judge these things, and the rock wouldn't listen and you're both all, you're really good and it felt-- you know what? I'm gonna stop talking now.” </p>
<p>Even in the shadows and firelight, the nape of his neck was distinctly red.</p>
<p>“Prompto,” Ignis said, not without sympathy. </p>
<p>Prompto speared another piece of meat and flicked it into the pit. “It's just, you came all this way and you've been fighting so hard for me, and I screwed it all up.” </p>
<p>When the sorcerer had announced the competition, a light of satisfaction had flared in Ignis's chest. His greatest challenge had been keeping a straight face. He was well aware of Prompto's crush – that was to say, that Prompto was under the impression he had a crush. That happened now and then, when someone made the assumption that somewhere beneath Ignis's surface there was sweetness or warmth. Back at the castle, when he had thought Prompto a well-intentioned fair-weather companion to the prince, it had been a bit of awkwardness to be tactfully disregarded until it ran its course. Here, now that Ignis was aware of the depth of the man's devotion to Noct, it was less easily ignored. A grubby and mercenary part of him had grasped at the chance to have one kiss for his own. A portion of his shame was for that.</p>
<p>The greater shame was for the part of him that had seen, in Prompto's feelings, a tactical advantage. </p>
<p>“You did nothing wrong. One can't control one's own feelings.” A slight wry smile bent his lips. “Any more than one can control a magic rock.” </p>
<p>Prompto turned to look at him, fork still in the bucket, as astonished as though he truly expected Ignis to  resent him for enjoying the sorcerer's kiss. It was hardly possible. The image of his features gone soft and distant, unselfconscious in pleasure, was worth more than any question of who had caused it. </p>
<p>“You're really okay?” Prompto said. </p>
<p>“Are you?” </p>
<p>The torches snapped and smelled of smoke. From the pit, something made an impatient snarl. </p>
<p>“Yeah,” Prompto said. “It was a lot. But yeah.” </p>
<p>He turned his attention to his work. A piece of meat arced into the pit, and a sound of snapping jaws came in return. </p>
<p>Eventually Ignis said, “I imagine it's a mercy it's too dark to see this beast.” </p>
<p>“You can kind of see an outline if you look real close. It's not so bad.” </p>
<p>Ignis, squinting into the pit and making out nothing but solid blackness, said, “I will take your word for it.” </p>
<p>Prompto stirred the fork in the bucket with a rattling sound. “I guess it all comes down to tomorrow.” His faint smile that coincided with a sharp bark from the beast that startled Ignis's heart into an uneven beat. “Got a genius strategy worked out?” </p>
<p>“Not yet,” Ignis said. </p>
<p>Prompto looked like he accepted it as a matter of time. He shook the last scraps out of the bucket. “So what're you gonna do?”</p>
<p>“Exactly what I always do when there's a problem to untangle.” Ignis headed toward the stairs back to the main castle. “Make dinner.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>Ignis had a memory of glimpsing orange trees in the jungle room. While the enchanted cabinets could provide whatever they were asked for, he preferred his ingredients to be fresh and local whenever possible. Without anyone goading him on, a walk in the lush greenery and bright sun was not unpleasant. The crocodile followed alongside him with a brisk step, as though guiding him on a tour of its home. When they passed the sandy clearing, Ignis noted with satisfaction that the giant scorpion now had a rock for shelter. </p>
<p>At a tree near the ravine with the invisible bridge, Ignis selected a few oranges that were firm, smooth-skinned, and heavy for their size. </p>
<p>He was stepping through the door back into the cool air of the castle proper when he noticed he was walking alone. The crocodile was hanging back, a place of darker green in the brightness of the undergrowth. </p>
<p>“In or out, Snap?” Ignis said, holding the door. </p>
<p>After a moment, the crocodile shuffled through. </p>
<p>Ignis and his reptile companion stopped by the conservatory to pluck some herbs and fresh greens. The sorcerous cupboards could provide the rest. In the kitchen, Snap took up a place under the table as Ignis made his plan and surveyed his domain. No legions of palace cooks to contend with for space, and marble countertops that could make a man weep. Not to mention the other conveniences.</p>
<p>“A duck,” Ignis said, and opened the cupboard.</p>
<p>He shut it quickly. </p>
<p>“A butchered, dressed duck,” he amended. </p>
<p>That was more workable. </p>
<p>Ignis had the duck in the oven and was mixing batter in a bowl when Prompto came in, finished with his tasks. He had his camera slung on its strap over his shoulder, and took a few shots of Ignis at work. He kept him company as well as providing an extra pair of hands, and the morning's events could be, if not quite forgotten, set aside. </p>
<p>Ignis's calculations were correct; the duck was finished at the same moment as the popovers. Ignis considered those, airier than yeast rolls and with none of the trouble of kneading and letting rise, something of a secret weapon. He set Prompto to whisking a vinaigrette for the salad and took the sorcerer's gift out of his pocket. </p>
<p>“Ardyn,” he said into the mirror. </p>
<p>The surface darkened, then cleared to show the sorcerer's face.</p>
<p>“Yes?” the sorcerer said, exaggeratedly solicitous as always. “How may I be of service?” </p>
<p>Ignis said, “If you would care to join us, dinner is served.” </p>
<p>The yellow eyes blinked, and his head canted to the side. “Are you inviting me to share a meal?”</p>
<p>“It's only common manners,” said Ignis. “After all, you are our host.” </p>
<p>“Ah, a man of proper upbringing.” The sorcerer waved his hand, with a sweep of sleeve that was now a deep gold. “I, however, have no need of such things. I draw sustenance from starlight and the thin, impeccable liquor of the aether.” </p>
<p>“Dude,” Prompto said from over Ignis's shoulder, “Iggy's duck is amazing.” </p>
<p>The sorcerer tapped a finger on his chin, seemed to come to a decision, and said, “I shall be there in just a moment.” </p>
<p>The mirror went dark. Ignis flipped it closed, tucked it in his pocket, and began to set the table.</p>
<hr/>
<p>All the forks were set out and Iggy was starting to cut up the duck when a dark orb floated through the doorway. Purple lightning flashed inside, and it unfolded into the shape of Ardyn.</p>
<p>“Good evening,” he said. He held up a dusty bottle with writing on the label that looked less like words and more like a bunch of spiders that got squashed during a dance party. “I've brought wine.” </p>
<p>He was wearing a bronzy robe with mazey squarish designs along the hems. Prompto was glad he'd changed, since the smell of roses was kind of bound up with some awkward feelings now. This one looked like normal cloth for once. It fluttered as he strode toward the table and rustled when he took a jerky half-step back. </p>
<p>“Ugh,” he said, staring down under the kitchen table with his lip curled. "You needn't allow that uncleanly creature underfoot.” </p>
<p>Prompto had to glance under the table before he realized what Ardyn meant. “Hey, Snap's a sweetheart, and he's super clean. He floats around in the bath all the time.” </p>
<p>“He's not harming anything,” Ignis said, coming around the counter with plates balanced in his arms. </p>
<p>Snap and the wizard looked at each other with identical distrust until the crocodile grunted and lumbered out from under the table. He went and laid by the wall near Prompto instead. That must have been enough of a truce for Ardyn. He came over to the table and draped himself half-sideways over the third chair. </p>
<p>Ignis set a plate at each place and said, “If you would sit up straight, please.” </p>
<p>“Oh.” Ardyn's purplish eyebrows jumped up, and he rearranged himself into sitting like a normal person. He sounded obvious about humoring him, like he was a behemoth letting a little kid lead him around by the nose. “Why, yes sir.” </p>
<p>It was kind of weird being at a table with two guys he'd kissed and who were kind of enemies, but if there was anything in the world that could knock awkward right out of your brain, it was the smell of roast duck the way Iggy made it.</p>
<p>“Go right ahead,” Ignis said when he sat down. It felt right for him to be in charge. Wizard or no wizard, this was his territory. </p>
<p>Ardyn picked up his fork and said a string of bouncing, clacking syllables. It took him a second to notice Ignis and Prompto looking at him.</p>
<p>He looked kind of embarrassed. “Do you not say that?” </p>
<p>“You're not from around here, are you,” Prompto said slowly. </p>
<p>“Why, I'm as local as can be.” The wizard gestured swirls in the air with some duck on his fork. “I'm native to this dimension, and it's all essentially the same neighborhood. Mm. Oh.” </p>
<p>Those were just about the same noises everybody made when they tried Iggy's cooking for the first time. Same expression, too, with his eyes closed and his face all still with concentration. </p>
<p>Prompto couldn't blame him. He probably had that look, too. The duck's skin was crispy and bright sweet-sour from the orange, and the meat flooded your mouth with richness. It was a while of getting a good solid taste of everything before he looked up and saw how Ignis had a little restrained smile on his lips.</p>
<p>Ignis said, “Adequate?” </p>
<p>“You are an artisan,” said Ardyn. “In a just world, bards would sing paeans to your pastries, and poets compose odes to the grace of your glaze.” </p>
<p>Prompto's agreement was a heartfelt sigh. “Dude.” </p>
<p>The cork popped out of the wine with a snap of Ardyn's fingers. A disembodied hand made of faint pinkish light appeared and started to lift the bottle, until Ignis took it by the neck. </p>
<p>“No magic at the table, please,” he said. </p>
<p>Ardyn waved his real hand to disappear the ghostly one, which was cool but honestly pretty creepy too.  Ignis poured instead. </p>
<p>“You lay a strict banquet,” Ardyn said, “and yet you allow him to bring his weapon.” </p>
<p>It took Prompto a second to follow his eyes. He lifted up his camera where it hung from its strap on the back of the chair. “This? That's just my camera.” </p>
<p>“Camera?” the wizard echoed. His accent made it sound like a magic word.  </p>
<p>Prompto finished off the little puffy bread thing in his hand, wiped his fingers off on the napkin, and picked his camera up. “Yeah, I bring it everywhere. I didn't even realize I'd tossed it on until I was halfway down the road. It takes pictures, see? Here, look. Just be careful, it took me forever to save up for it.” </p>
<p>He handed the camera to Ardyn, who took it in both hands like it was a little furry animal. </p>
<p>“Remarkable,” he said, looking into the lenses on the front like he was studying someone's face. He looked all over until he found the model name written on the front. “So it contains a little house spirit. Do you leave butter out as an offering?”</p>
<p>“Nah, you just put film in it.” Prompto's sleeve dipped in orange sauce when he reached over his plate to point. “Then you push that little switch, see?” </p>
<p>“This here? Oh!” </p>
<p>Ardyn nearly dropped it when the flash went off in his face. Snap grunted from by the wall, and Prompto and Ignis both went “Careful!” at the same time.  He managed to catch it, though, so Prompto's heart could go back down out of his throat. </p>
<p>“My apologies,” Ardyn said, blinking fast. So even wizards could get spots in their eyes. “That was, ah, unexpected. It will work for anyone?” </p>
<p>“Yeah,” said Prompto. He took it back and sling it safely by the strap over the back of his chair. “See, what happens is opening the shutter lets the light in, and...” </p>
<p>He started explaining how everything worked. Ardyn went <i>hm, I see</i>, and <i>a special paper, is that so?</i> while he ate, which he did with little delicate swoopy movements, like he wasn't much in the habit. It was strange to know more about something than somebody, let alone a guy who must know the secrets of the universe and stuff. It felt kind of nice, how curious he was.  By the time Prompto was talking about the development process and the darkroom Noct had put together for him – which was seriously amazing – Ignis had brought out some fluffy white chocolate pudding with raspberries for dessert. </p>
<p>The wine didn't turn him into a frog or anything. It just tasted like wine. It was gone before he knew it, and so was the pudding. He was in the middle of talking about fixatives when the spoon tapped the bottom of the fancy little glass bowl thing.</p>
<p>“Oh, sorry,” Prompto said, knowing he must be turning pinkish. “Kinda got carried away.” </p>
<p>“Not at all,” Ardyn said, with the eyes-half-closed happy satisfaction look you got after Ignis cooked for you. “I love to see a young man with passion.” </p>
<p>“It's just a hobby,” Prompto said. He was definitely a little pink now. Ardyn made it sound like something special.</p>
<p>“The ability to reflect things as they are is a respectable talent.” His wild hair moved around in interesting directions when he tilted his head. “Ah. You have a bit of raspberry on your cheek. Allow me...” </p>
<p>“Here you are,” Ignis said, and Prompto turned to take the napkin he was getting handed. </p>
<p>“Thanks dude,” Prompto said. He dabbed off his face. “That was amazing.” </p>
<p>Way better than the stuff the cupboards put out, though that might be on Prompto for not being able to think of anything to ask them for but a sandwich. Those meals had always been alone, too. Ardyn had mostly only come out of his study to give Prompto jobs to do, those few days before Ignis showed up. Prompto didn't want to go back to that forever if Ignis lost – though that didn't matter, since Ignis wasn't going to lose. </p>
<p>“Indeed a sumptuous repast,” Ardyn said. He pulled a handkerchief out of his sleeve and dabbed his lips. “I don't often bother with such things, now that no one makes a good libum anymore. I'd nearly forgotten what fun these little indulgences can be.” </p>
<p>Ignis was leaned back in his chair. Somehow he'd made the whole thing without getting a speck of anything on him. He looked like he owned the place, managed the place, and got killer reviews for the place. “Happy to provide."</p>
<p>“Well then,” said Ardyn, standing up in a way that unfolded him and made his robe flutter all around, “While I would love to stay and chat, I've an appointment to keep. Mustn't be late. You know how sandestins are.” </p>
<p>“I really don't,” said Prompto. </p>
<p>Ardyn smiled at him. “You'll learn.” </p>
<p>He took a few steps back from the table and waved his hand. A tornado of silver dust rose up from the floor and wrapped around him. When it dissolved into the air, he was gone. </p>
<p>Ignis didn't look real impressed. He was swirling the wine in his glass and wearing a little secret curve on his lips. The area around the kitchen table seemed bigger without Ardyn in the space. </p>
<p>“I know that face,” Prompto said. He planted his hands on the table and excitement thumped on his chest. “You know what you're gonna do.”</p>
<p>Ignis said, “I may have a notion.”</p>
<p>“You're gonna do a cooking contest.” </p>
<p>“A fine idea, but I doubt he will agree. The odds in my favor are too clear. What I need is not only an advantage, but one he is less willing to admit.” </p>
<p>“Like?” Prompto said, bouncing a little. </p>
<p>“Have you noticed how much of his movement is done by magic? Transforming, or vanishing in flashes of this or that?” </p>
<p>“Well, yeah, he likes showing off.” To be honest, if Prompto could turn into a lightning ball or whatever, he'd do it whenever he got the chance. </p>
<p>“Certainly spectacle is a factor, but so is something else. I caught a glimpse when he stood.” </p>
<p>Iggy's hands were folded. His glasses glittered.</p>
<p>“Our sorcerer has a limp.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ignis took a steadying breath, opened the mirror, and said, “Ardyn.” </p>
<p>The sorcerer appeared with a cheery, “Good morning.” </p>
<p>“Morning!” Prompto said, waving from his seat at the kitchen table. He had come down for coffee after his morning chore of sorting dragon's teeth by species.</p>
<p>Sun slanted in through the generous windows in the stone walls, illuminating their host's eclectic taste in decorations. The fresh tablecloth Ignis had found in the pantry was indigo, set with strange jewels and arcane patterns of wires that glittered of their own accord. The curtains were gingham check.</p>
<p>“I'm looking forward to our final challenge,” the sorcerer said. Judging by the smile matching that of the demon mask on the wall behind him, the words were genuine. “Have you given it any thought?” </p>
<p>“Yes,” said Ignis. “I propose a cooking competition.” </p>
<p>The sorcerer laughed. “Now that is out of the question. I'm not so fool as to challenge you on the fertile turf of your specialty. Our contests are to be fair. No straw-to-gold nonsense on my part, and no salt-to-gourmet hijinks on yours. Try again.” </p>
<p>Ignis worried at his lip with his teeth. “Something else... A footrace? No magic, of course.” </p>
<p>The sorcerer tilted his head to the side in a sway of magenta hair. “Hm. Acceptable. Though I have a condition to set in return. I will not employ my power in the course of the race itself, however, I ask to be permitted one spell prior. A bit of a physical adjustment. It will apply to both of us equally, and not prove a hindrance.” </p>
<p>Wariness stirred the hairs on the back of Ignis's neck. “Exactly what sort of adjustment?” </p>
<p>“Why, telling would ruin the fun. I shall demonstrate, and should you find it unacceptable, the spell will revert and we will continue our debate. Meet me in the room marked on your map in fifteen minutes. Ta.” </p>
<p>Before Ignis could protest, the mirror reflected only his own face. </p>
<p>“I guess cooking would be too easy,”  Prompto said, fidgeting with the hem of the tablecloth. </p>
<p>“Oh, I knew that would never... pan out,” Ignis said, and enjoyed Prompto's groan. “All part of the plan to get his guard down.”</p>
<p>“You gonna risk what he wants to do?”</p>
<p>Ignis snapped the mirror closed. The sorcerer's unpredictability gave him a frisson of excitement. “It's still our best chance. We'll see what our opponent has up his sleeve.” </p>
<p>“You can do it, Iggy,” Prompto said. His face, too, had a reflection of the determination Ignis felt. “I've got your back.” </p>
<p>“Help me get the dishes in the sink.” Ignis resettled his glasses on his nose. “Then, to battle.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>Trial and error, mostly in the form of Prompto shaking his mirror and shouting into it, found that speaking the word “map” brought up an image of the castle grounds. The room highlighted in a gold glow was on the first floor, beside one labeled as the buttery. The two of them walked side by side through the candlelit stone hallways until they reached the designated doorway, finding it sturdy wood with an ornate handle, identical to the rest. </p>
<p>“Here goes nothing,” Prompto said. </p>
<p>When he opened the door, the castle hall was flooded with sunlight. They stepped out onto grass. </p>
<p>The “room” was a vast green plain beneath a cloudless sky. The door they had just come through stood unattached, like a hanging portrait of a dim hallway framed in heavy posts. A few paces away there was a pair of golden poles bordering a rectangle of black and white squares on the ground. There was no other feature but a grove of trees in the distance, with what looked to be a marble fountain in front. Before that stood another pair of golden poles with a ribbon stretched between them. Unlike the jungle room, there was no oppressive heat. The air had the cool touch of early spring. The sun was warm on Ignis's face, and the breeze stirred his hair. </p>
<p>A black feather wafted down into sight, then twisted in the air and began to shine. The light became a bright globe that expanded to the size of a man. When it faded, it left behind the form of the sorcerer. He was clad in a robe of feathers, pure black and sleek but for the ragged gray edge of his left sleeve that stirred as he lifted his arms in welcome. </p>
<p>“Here we are, my lads,” he announced, gesturing to the space between sets of poles. “One thousand cubits of clear ground to cross. We begin at this point, and the winner is he who first crosses the line.”</p>
<p>“Simple enough,” Ignis said, “but I have not forgotten your mysterious condition.” </p>
<p>“Ah, that! Just a little adjustment to level the playing field, subject to your veto, of course. Permit me to demonstrate.” </p>
<p>From his sleeve the sorcerer pulled what looked to be a wand of oak, still budding delicate leaves. He swished it from side to side, then tapped Ignis on the forehead. </p>
<p>On instinct Ignis took a quick step back. A wave of dizziness hit him, but dissipated after some rapid blinking. Apart from that, anticlimactically enough, nothing appeared to have happened. </p>
<p>Prompto was staring at him and making a high, faint keening noise. </p>
<p>Ignis glanced about for what the trouble was. He adjusted his wings, flexed his talons in the grass, and inquired, “Kweh?”</p>
<hr/>
<p>There were things you treasured forever because you only saw them once in a lifetime. A perfect rainbow. A shooting star timed just right for your wish. Your brilliant and kind of uptight friend as a silvery chocobo with an unmistakable feathery crest, looking down at himself and squawking.</p>
<p>“No need for distress,” Ardyn said. He tucked the branch back in his sleeve. “The effect is harmless and strictly temporary. Post-competition, you need only circle yonder grove thrice and drink from the fountain to restore your customary mammalian form.” </p>
<p>“Dude,” Prompto said, his fingers twitching frantically at his side. He hadn't blinked in a while. “<i>Dude</i>.” </p>
<p>Ardyn leaned in and whispered to the Ignis-chocobo, “You'd best allow him to pet you. I fear he's going to burst into flames.” </p>
<p>The incredibly adorable way his headfeathers twitched was not helping there. </p>
<p>Ignis looked at Prompto with an even more adorable tilt, gave a little head-bob, and said “Kweh.” </p>
<p>Prompto's throat made a squeaking noise all on its own. He buried his hands in Ignis's feathers and rubbed his face all over his neck. </p>
<p>“Look at you look at you look at you! You're all fluffy! Dude you have feathers and wings and a little beaky face. I know you've been a chocobo for four seconds but you're the best chocobo in the world. Dude you have <i>glasses marks</i> around your eyes.” </p>
<p>Ignis headbutted him gently in the chest just like Daisy did, and gave him the look that meant <i>Breathe, Prompto,</i> just like regular human Ignis did.</p>
<p>“Okay, okay.” Prompto took a deep breath. “I can handle this.” </p>
<p>He could step back. He just needed to scritch the Ignis-bird's neck a bit first. Ignis leaned into it with a cooing sound, then straightened up and looked mortified.</p>
<p>“Hey, wait a minute,” Prompto said. He let his hand drop, and Iggy's head bent around to move his feathers back into place with his beak. “This is amazing and really, really cute, I mean I am gonna have a heart attack and die cute, but it isn't fair. Iggy's never been a bird before. How's he supposed to know how to do it?” </p>
<p>The wizard had his hands folded in his sleeves. “Not to worry. It is all quite natural. While your friend's mind is unaltered, the body's avian inclinations have their influence, as you can see by his instinct to preen.”</p>
<p>Ignis stopped beaking at himself and stood up straight.</p>
<p>Ardyn said, “A brief, bracing run is well within his abilities, should he consent.” </p>
<p>“Wait a minute.” Prompto's eyes narrowed. “Are you gonna make him go running after balloons, or have birds fly at his face or something?”</p>
<p>“Why, of course not,” Ardyn said, his maroon eyebrows jumping up.“I'm not a monster.” </p>
<p>“Promise?” </p>
<p>Ardyn lifted his hand up toward his heart for a second, then dropped it. “You have my solemn vow.” </p>
<p>“Okay,” Prompto said. His hands found their way into Iggy's neck feathers again. He looked so serious, even as a bird. Don't squeal, Prompto. It'll hurt his bird-ears. But seriously, little black glasses marks around his eyes. “What do you say, Iggy? You think you can do this?” </p>
<p>Iggy stepped back. He flapped his wings a couple times and switched from foot to foot like he was testing his balance. Then he looked at Ardyn and nodded with a solemn, “Kweh.” </p>
<p>“Splendid,” Ardyn said, as calmly as if that little dancy thing wouldn't make anybody with a pulse want to hug Birdnis forever. “Prompto, you will as always serve as judge. Trot on over to the grove and signal with this for us to begin.” </p>
<p>'This' was a checkered flag he pulled out of a sleeve that was definitely not big enough to have been hiding it. Prompto took it and gave it a heft. It rippled in a satisfying way. </p>
<p>“Now,” Ardyn announced, “the final preparation.” </p>
<p>He raised his arms up, hair and robe-feathers stirring around in the breeze, and starting glowing so bright Prompto had to look away. When he looked back, standing in Ardyn's place was a huge black chocobo with some gray feathers on one wing and big amber eyes. </p>
<p>Chocobardyn held his wings out, turned his head, and said a smooth, accented, “Kweh.” </p>
<p>The noise Prompto made was probably one Noct could hear from home. </p>
<p>He had to trot away toward the finish line fast or else he was going to give the superpowerful mysterious wizard a big hug. He wasn't fully up on all the fairy tale rules, but you definitely weren't supposed to do that. Something in the trees was shining in the sunlight. He craned his neck up as he got into the shade. Golden apples. The trees were full of them, some on branches that were in easy reach. They were bright and perfect-looking, all kinds of inviting. </p>
<p>There were probably fairy tale rules about that, too. All Prompto knew was Gladio's Wilderness Rules: don't eat stuff you find in the woods unless you know what you're doing. It was definitely rude to end up puking in somebody's magic grassland room, even if it was their fruit that made you do it. They were probably for the chocobo-guys, anyway, for when they finished the race. Chocobos loved apples. Whenever Prompto brought one down to the stables, Daisy always crunched it down and headbutted him real good. She had the cutest little chirp. </p>
<p>Okay, right, he had a job to do. Prompto stood just past the finish line, in front of the fountain. The two chocobos were off in the distance, silver on his left, black on his right. Everything was riding on this. Iggy could do it. Prompto put all his energy into believing in him and blocked off the thought of what would happen if he lost. </p>
<p>Prompto could see them both perk their feathery heads up when he raised the flag. The Ignis-bird leaned forward in sprinting position, and the Ardyn one did this little toss with his wings that was seriously too cute to deal with-  Focus, Prompto. </p>
<p>“Ready...” </p>
<p>His voice felt big, ringing out over the grass. The wind snapped at the flag. </p>
<p>This was going to bring him home. </p>
<p>Prompto brought the flag down and yelled, “Go!” </p>
<p>The second he did, the Ardyn-bird let out a shriek that hurt even from where Prompto was standing. He clapped his hands over his ears and his heart wrenched up into his throat. He had to call off the race. Something was wrong.</p>
<p>Then he saw that Ignis was blinking and reeling for precious instants, and Ardyn was already ten yards ahead. </p>
<p>Ardyn did have a limp. Even as a chocobo, when he ran flat out the hitch in his step was clear as day.</p>
<p>So why, Prompto thought with growing panic, wasn't it slowing him down? </p>
<p>As every ground-eating stride brought the big black bird closer, Prompto saw it. Every step, he was doing this little flap with his wings that fixed his balance and gave him a boost. Gray and black feathers fanned at the air like he'd done it a million times. Further back, Ignis was trying to steal the technique, but either his bird-body wasn't built for it or he didn't have the practice to get the timing right. Soon he gave it up and just ran for all he was worth. He bent low to the ground and shot forward like an arrow, catching up a little more each second.</p>
<p>It wasn't going to be enough.</p>
<p>The two chocobos were looming larger every second as they bore down on Prompto and the finish line. Ignis's eyes were dead on him, and his chocobo body was going so fast that the wind was flattening down his crest feathers. If they'd had a mile to go, he would catch up and pass Ardyn. </p>
<p>They didn't. </p>
<p>So this was it. Prompto was never going to see his friends again. It made his heart clunk down like a bucket dropped in a well. He knew the price when he made the deal to help Noct, and it was worth it. It would always be worth it. But they'd gotten so close. And of all things, it was going to be because of chocobos, sweet, adorable, lovable chocobos who beaked at your hair and twitched their legs when they were dreaming and when you brought them fruit they got so excited they snatched it right out of your hand. </p>
<p>The golden apples glittered in the sun.</p>
<p>An idea hit Prompto's brain hard enough to spin it backwards. </p>
<p>It was the rightest thing he knew. Prompto Argentum was going to wager his fate on a chocobo being a chocobo, wizard or not. </p>
<p>The apple on the lowest branch snapped right off in his hand. He flung it over towards the Ardyn-chocobo's path, as close as he could. It turned end over end as it arced through the air. Prompto's heart leaped when the black chocobo raised his head to watch it as he ran.</p>
<p>Prompto's aim was a little off. The gold apple thumped onto the grass and rolled right under Ardyn's foot. </p>
<p>The chocobo squawked as his foot shot out from under him. He flailed his wings and beak-planted in the grass. </p>
<p>“Oh, shit!” Prompto yelled. He waved his arms, flag flapping. “Sorry sorry sorry!” </p>
<p>The Ignis-bird narrowed his eyes, stretched his neck, and sprinted. Ardyn flapped and cawed his way to his feet, with Ignis gaining every second. </p>
<p><i>Come on, come on Iggy, you can do it,</i> Prompto wished instead of breathing. </p>
<p>When Ardyn was moving again he was only a step ahead. </p>
<p>They were both barreling down towards Prompto. Even on a feathery face that was Ignis's absolute focus, no mistake. The playful look had gone away from the big black chocobo's eyes. Their claws swished in the grass, fast and constant as a waterfall. Their legs were a blur. Iggy was closer and closer. The flag was raised above Prompto's head, and the pole was slick with sweat in his hand. Ten yards away, five, three--</p>
<p>Two claws hit the checkered ground at the same instant Prompto swung the flag down. </p>
<p>Highspeed feathery bodies wooshed past Prompto on both sides. Ardyn flapped and clawed up the ground to get himself to a halt, while Ignis wheeled around.</p>
<p>Prompto held the truth rock in his palm and said, “It's a tie, guys.” </p>
<p>He stuffed it in his pocket while it was still glowing green. The Ardyn-chocobo was walking toward him, and his limp was a lot worse than it had been just a second ago. </p>
<p>“Man,” Prompto said, guilt jabbing him, “I'm really sorry. It was just supposed to distract you.” </p>
<p>“Ku-<i>eh</i>,” Chocobardyn said mournfully, holding up a drooping claw. He was breathing hard from the race, and it made his feathers poofy. </p>
<p>“Poor little guy.” Prompto took his foot in hand to look for any swelling. It felt warm and dry, and a little scaly. “Let me see.” </p>
<p>Ardyn nibbled his hair, and Prompto had to laugh. “Okay, you can't be doing <i>too</i> bad. Here, I'll make it up to you.” </p>
<p>There was a branch so close Prompto didn't even have to let go of Ardyn's foot to reach another apple. He held it out, and the Ardyn-bird took it delicately from Prompto's hand with the tip of his beak, looking at him all the time with his big gold eyes. He gave the apple a good crunch, then tilted his head back to swallow it down. </p>
<p>“Better?” Prompto said. </p>
<p>The Ardyn-bird nodded. Prompto petted his claw a little. He cooed and leaned in close, until Prompto's forehead was wisped by soft black feathers. </p>
<p>Something else feathery headbutted him on the arm. “Ahem. Kweh.” </p>
<p>Prompto straightened up and put down Ardyn's foot. “Oh, hey Iggy. What's up? Are you gonna transform back?” </p>
<p>Ardyn had said he had to run around the little grove a couple times first. Iggy being Iggy, he definitely remembered that, even if the chocobo instincts were strong enough in both of them that Ardyn was nibbling and tugging on Prompto's shirt right now. </p>
<p>Birdnis fluttered his wings and fluffed himself up. He bent down, tilted his head toward his back, and said “Kweh.” </p>
<p>Oh no way. </p>
<p>“You're gonna let me ride you?” Prompto's voice slid up to a squeak. “Seriously?” </p>
<p>Ignis flapped his wing like an inviting hand. </p>
<p>Yeah. There was nobody here to know except the three of them, but it was a fact that Prompto squealed. </p>
<p>“No <i>way</i>! You're the best, buddy!” </p>
<p>He vaulted up onto Ignis's back. It took a second to get his legs right without a saddle. Ignis twisted his neck around to give him a look that had to mean, <i>Are you situated?</i> The thin black markings that surrounded his eyes made him look so serious. </p>
<p>Prompto said, “All good here. Ready when you are!”</p>
<p>Ignis took off. It was probably actually just an easy lope, but to Prompto, who hardly ever got the chance to get up on chocoboback and who'd last done it when he was busy being scared out of his mind for Noct and praying that the legendary wizard's castle really existed, it felt like a gallop. He whooped and wrapped his arms around Iggy's neck. The trees whipped by, and Iggy's haunches moved under him, fast and smooth. His wings fluttered just behind Prompto's legs. Prompto grabbed on tight with his thighs and buried his face in Iggy's feathers. </p>
<p>He had one hell of a head rush by the time Iggy slowed down. Oh, there was the fountain. That must have been three already. No Ardyn-bird in sight, though. Iggy bent, and Prompto slid off. It took a stumble to get used to being on his own feet again. His heart was going to be pounding for a while. Ignis steadied him with his head, then went and lapped at the fountain. </p>
<p>His chocobo-body glowed so bright Prompto had to cover his eyes. When he looked, there was Ignis, human and two-legged and with hair just a little mussed. Prompto could still feel the shape of his other body between his legs. </p>
<p>Was being on somebody while they were a bird about the same as a piggyback ride?</p>
<p>“Dude,” Prompto said, “I can't believe how fast you were. You were amazing! What's it feel like to be a chocobo? Is it great? It's gotta be great.” </p>
<p>Ignis, touching his face like he was making sure it was all there, said, “Tall.” </p>
<p>“So with the eyes on the sides of your head, do you see double or wha-” </p>
<p>“Well, well.” Ardyn strode out from behind the fountain. He was human again too, though just as big and feathery, in that robe. “So it seems we must compete once again. The selection of contest will be mine, this time.”</p>
<p>Ignis settled his glasses on his nose and said, “I am prepared to meet your challenge.” </p>
<p>“Excellent. But first.” Ardyn moved toward Prompto. When you looked close, you could see his steps weren't quite even. It was hard to notice that kind of thing when he was coming to loom over you. Prompto swallowed.</p>
<p>That smile wasn't friendly, and he was a lot different when he wasn't a bird. </p>
<p>“There is the matter of your punishment.”</p>
<p>“M, my...” Prompto stammered. The grass swished at his legs when he stepped back.</p>
<p>“That is not part of the agreement,” Ignis said sharply. </p>
<p>Ardyn didn't even look at him. His yellow eyes were all for Prompto. </p>
<p>“You cheated, my dear. Quite deviously, I might add. That does not invalidate the results, but neither can I let it pass with impunity.” He drew that wand from out of his sleeve and waved it back and forth. Prompto's eyes couldn't help but follow the tip. “Now, what shall it be? <i>Faldorn's Floralibic Expulsion? The Singly-Shrouded Isolation? Alas, Pinnae?</i> Ah, no, no, the punishment must fit the crime. Hm, yes. I know just the thing. Something suitable for one who is cruel to birds.”</p>
<p>Prompto was too offended to make anything but a strangled noise. Before he could protest it was an accident, Ignis was in front of him.</p>
<p>“It was for my sake,” Ignis said. “I am the one he assisted. The punishment should be mine.” </p>
<p>Prompto grabbed for his arm. “Iggy, don't!” </p>
<p>“How nauseatingly noble. Very well.” Before Prompto could even try to do anything, Ardyn tapped Ignis on the forehead with his wand. “<i>The Aelurus Curse of C'Mell.</i>” </p>
<p>For a second Prompto thought the things on Ignis's head were feathers again. </p>
<p>“Until the morrow,” Ardyn said. He stepped back, raised his hands, and was gone in a whirl of black wings. </p>
<p>Prompto and Ignis were left looking at each other. The fountain splashed, and the wind bent the long grass. </p>
<p>“All right,” Ignis said. Half-buried in his hair, the silvery cat ears twitched. “Tell me the worst of it before I look.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Hey Noct,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Things are taking longer than we thought. We're still okay though. Hope you're not slacking off too much without Iggy around to keep you on track.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Prompto</em>
</p><p>
  <em>p.s. wizards are real</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The first thing Ignis did was take a moment to make some alterations to his trousers. Well, not precisely. The very first thing was to sigh and tell Prompto yes, he could touch the ears. So his luck went. Out of one strange transformation, into another. All told, things could be worse. The curse was neither painful nor debilitating. The ears in fact seemed to have some function. Ignis was certain he would not have been able to make out Prompto's whispered <em>So cute</em> with his ordinary hearing alone. Neither was the sensation of having them touched entirely unpleasant.</p><p>So, strictly speaking, the second thing Ignis did was the impromptu tailoring.</p><p>The third was telling Prompto that yes, he could touch the tail as well.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Prompto</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Like Gladio would let me. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Wait, wizards, what? Is that a code for something? If you're stuck somewhere I'll come get you. I'm good as new now. Being sick feels like it was a weird bad dream. I know you were both there, though. I remember that.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Noct</em>
</p><p>
  <em>p.s. There's a new egg in the stables. You'd better be back before it hatches. Nobody else would take chick pictures as good.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>In the drawing room, dressed in a robe made of bright scales, the sorcerer challenged Ignis to a fishing competition. Ignis's condition was no magic, and Ardyn's in return was that Ignis should use only a spear.</p><p>They competed in a room open to the sky and full of tangled rivers. The sorcerer stood at the edge of one and cast in a negligent line that brought in one catch after another to add to his basket. Ignis stood knee-deep in the water of another stream, tail wrapped around his waist, and stabbed at the flitting shadows. He missed several times until he leaned to ignore his eyes and hunt by feel. With each fish he landed he could not waste time in caring that he must have been hopelessly behind.</p><p>It was Prompto who later told him that the sorcerer's initial luck had dried up quickly. According to him, it might have had something to do with the crocodile whose eyes visible now and then above the water of his fishing grounds.</p><p>When the time was up Prompto counted out the fish in each basket and said, “It's a tie.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Noct</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Nope, wizard is just code for guy who can do magic, like they say. It's a long story. You can't come here, though. I don't think you can find the place unless he wants you to. But no way am I letting a chocobo hatch without me.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Prompto</em>
</p><p> </p><p>In his explorations of the castle, Ignis discovered a library full of tomes that might contain useful information. He investigated while Prompto performed his chores of sorting gems by strength of enchantment and trimming the hedge animals.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Prompto</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Are you kidding me? I thought that was just an old superstition Gladio's cheesy books use so they don't have to come up with their own bad guy. You actually went looking for him? You are nuts. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Get back here so I can high five you.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Noct</em>
</p><p> </p><p>In the kitchen, Snap took his place under the table while Ignis took one of the fish they'd caught and baked it in parchment with butter and lemon, and Prompto, feeding a bit of banana to the messenger bat, told him that the most difficult part of the job had been getting the subjects to stand still.</p><p>“The bear really didn't wanna get its nails done. I had to bribe it with sugar water – oh, hey Ardyn.”</p><p>“Good evening.” The sorcerer stood taking up much of the doorway, but came no further. His boots rested just beyond the threshold to the kitchen's tile floor.</p><p>Prompto said, “Oh, do you, like, have to get invited? One of those things?”</p><p>The sorcerer's eyes creased when he smiled. “I am not a vampire, my dear. Only a gentleman. I don't wish to trespass on your demesne, should the former invitation not be standing.”</p><p>Ignis's ears twitched as he stirred the carrots on the stovetop. The scent of the fish in the oven had an unusual acuteness to his nose. There was no established etiquette protocol for socializing with someone who had recently cursed you.</p><p>Ignis said, “I grant purrmission.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Noct</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Wild, right? I have so many pictures to show you. You're not gonna believe this. You know Iggy's going to spend a whole day telling Gladio all the stuff his books get wrong. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Pr</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Corresponding with the home front, I see?” Ardyn said. He walked around the table where Prompto was writing on the little slip of paper. He pet the bat on the head with one finger, and it cheeped. “Give the prince my regards.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>ompto</em>
</p><p>
  <em>p.s. The wizard says hi.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>In a parlor full of grandfather clocks, hourglasses, and sundials bearing gnomons that cast a shadow indoors, Ignis faced a sorcerer clad in a leopard-spotted robe and challenged him to tightrope-walking.</p><p>“My condition is you employ no magic.”</p><p>“Then mine is that we both be blindfolded.”</p><p>The place of competition was a red rock ravine with a river running beneath. For safety net there was the sorcerer's assurances that his power would catch anyone who might fall. Ignis leaned over, ears twitching as he took in the scent of the water, and resolved to test that as little as possible.</p><p>“That's...really high up,” Prompto said faintly.</p><p>“You will have a safe vantage point,” the sorcerer said. He snapped his fingers and a cloud like a large cushion appeared beside Prompto, floating at waist height. Prompto set his hands on it and bounced his weight there a few times. It held like a solid object.</p><p>“Cool,” Prompto said.</p><p>With a wave of the sorcerer's hand, two parallel courses appeared spanning the ravine. Ignis frowned at the odd color and stepped forward for a closer look. They were not ropes, but smooth green vines with a familiarity that twisted his stomach.</p><p>They were the same variety that had held and caressed Prompto.</p><p>They also were not straight. Each turned at right angles like two copies of an identical labyrinth, impossibly suspended. Blind, each step would have to be laboriously felt out, or it would be a long plunge.</p><p>“Having second thoughts?” the sorcerer purred. “There is always the option to forfeit.”</p><p>Ignis's tail lashed. He would have to employ every bit of the advantage in balance it gave him. The prospect of the height was a pleasant injection of adrenaline.</p><p>“The blindfolds, if you please, Prompto,” Ignis said, and stood at the ravine's edge.</p><p>A few paces away, the sorcerer stood at the place where his own vine began. Prompto started with him, taking one of the long black cloths looped over his arm and standing on his toes to tie it over Ardyn's eyes.</p><p>“Don't be shy. A little tighter. Mm, that's right. Oh, very nice.” The black cloth covering half his face made the curve of his lips stand out.</p><p>“There we go,” Prompto said, and came towards Ignis. “Your turn, Iggy.”</p><p>Ignis handed him his glasses and faced straight forward toward the ravine. He put his focus into the twin tasks of memorizing the course and keeping his tail still. Despite the high sun, the cloth blocked out light utterly. In darkness, Ignis felt Prompto secure the knot against the back of his head. Yet Ignis's tail still sensed a body behind him.</p><p>“Everything all right?” Ignis said.</p><p>“Y, yeah. Okay. Let's do this.”</p><p>Wind rose from the ravine, damp with spray. Ignis pictured the vine's turns as well as he could, engraving a map on the darkness. There was no telling if this would be possible at all until the first step.</p><p>Prompto called out, “Go!”</p><p>Ignis's questing foot found the vine, and he moved. It held his weight with unnatural stability and was wide enough that balance was, in itself, not terribly difficult. The tail was a gift, steadying him wondrously. Had he his eyes and a straight line, he could have dashed across. Three steps, and his toes found a sharp turn to the left, exactly as expected. To turn was treacherously disorienting. It was essential to hold the memory of the course in his mind at the same time as he preserved his sense of where the other side of the ravine was located. Four steps and a turn to the right, headed back forwards again. Three steps, and he nearly overshot and plummeted into the abyss.</p><p>Ignis wheeled his arms and kept his footing by an inch. No time to recover. He turned and kept going as his heart pounded like a ticking clock. Urgency fought the need for care in every movement. Step by treacherous step Ignis moved forward, and sought perfect concentration.</p><p>He blocked away the sound of the wind and the sorcerer's humming. He forgot the weight of his task. The world was the wind, his arms out beside him, and the map behind his eyes.</p><p>Clarity.</p><p>The vines seemed to grasp and guide his feet. Ignis focused on the image in his memory until it seemed to soak through the blindfold, clear as if his face were bare. His painstaking pace turned rapid, confident the path would be where he imagined, and at each step he was rewarded with solidity under his feet. A turn, five steps, another. Arms out and tail behind. The wind and the rush of the river below him fed his exhilaration.</p><p>Ignis's feet touched rock. He raised his arms in signal and heard a <em>hah!</em> from somewhere to his left.</p><p>His vision went black again at the moment Prompto called, from above them, “It's a tie.”</p><p>“Once again we are evenly matched.” Ignis removed the blindfold and squinted in the sudden light. The air stirred behind him with the lashing of his tail.</p><p>“How unfortunate,” the sorcerer said. He raised the blindfold with one finger to reveal a laughing amber eye. “It seems you will be spending one more night in my hospitality.”</p><p>“Dude,” Prompto said, sitting cross-legged on the cloud and floating over to hand Ignis his glasses, “that was really close.”</p><p>“Within a whisker.” The sorcerer waved his blindfold and a doorway appeared, resting its edge on the red rock. “Hmm, humid today. Prompto, go down to the dungeon and sprinkle a little cornstarch on the gelatinous cubes. They'll have gotten sticky. Poke them with a broom handle if they've clumped up into a collagen in the corners.”</p><p>Prompto's cloud listed to the side. “A what?”</p><p>“You know. A group. A murder of crows, a harryhause of skeletons, a collagen of slimes.” The sorcerer made a ribbon of gesture. The fur of his sleeve was thick and plush to an extent that must have been oppressive in the sun. He did not appear to be a man who ever sweated. “Be sure not to bring any light along. They don't like that.”</p><p>Prompto's strangled noise caused Ignis's ear to flick. “Have a heart, man.”</p><p>“Oh, I got quit of that uncleanly thing ages ago. But don't fret. They will glow to show your way.” The door opened for the sorcerer, who stepped through into the castle's shadows.</p><p>“Great,” Prompto said dimly, his cloud lowering. “Just how I always wanted to go. In the dark, eaten by blob monsters.”</p><p>“I very much doubt he will allow harm to come to you,” Ignis said under his breath, watching the sorcerer's fur-clad back recede into the shadows through the doorway.</p><p>“You trust him?”</p><p>Sweat was cooling on Ignis's shoulders. The sorcerer was out of sight. “I trust he is toying with us.”</p><p>“Yeah. This many ties isn't real likely to be legit.” Prompto's eyes fell to the rock. “He's never gonna let me go. I guess the idea is for you to keep trying and be stuck here forever.”</p><p>“To bind me with my own pride would be suitably ironic, though it may be that he is only enjoying himself. In that case, once he is no longer entertained, he will bring it to an end.”</p><p>“Look, Ignis.” Prompto stepped off the cloud. His hands clasped one another. “You were never supposed to get dragged into this. You should be back with Noct.”</p><p>“You misunderstand me.” Adrenaline gave fresh fire to the determination in Ignis's bones. Let the sorcerer become complacent. A Scientia was not easily beaten. “He is cheating, but I intend to win.”</p><p>If Prompto had had matching feline ears, they would have perked up. His eyes were large and luminous enough to give the same effect of hope alone. “Do you know how?”</p><p>“Not yet. However, there is nothing in the world without a weakness, and every day here we learn more. The mission is to keep his attention and buy time while I devise a strategy. Keep your eyes open as well, Prompto.”</p><p>“Will do!” Prompto saluted. Just the suggestion of a goal to pursue filled him with visible energy, dungeon chores or no.</p><p>“Besides, I can't go home looking like this.” Ignis caught the end of his silvery tail. Even through his gloves, the fur gave the impression of softness. His lips quirked. “Gladio would never let me hear the end of it.”</p><p>Prompto showed half of a smile as he ran his hand over the end of the tail. Ignis's own businesslike grip was a much different sensation from that of Prompto's long fingers stroking the fur.</p><p>Prompto said, “And Noct would never stop feeding you stuff.”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Prompto felt tired, even though he hadn't done anything but watch and desperately imagine that Ignis could somehow see through the blindfold, like he could beam the image of the vine-course right into his friend's brain. Ignis done really well, anyway. He was amazing.</p><p>Ignis went to the library to do research while Prompto did his chores. The dungeon was dark, dank, and creepy, and he stood on the dark stair freaking out for ages, but just like Ardyn said, after a minute of staring hard he could see the cube-things glowing.</p><p>Prompto sprinkled cornstarch on the things and thought about buying time.</p><hr/><p>In a cave room, in a mushroom-patterned robe with shifting foxfire that went bright down his right arm and dark down his left, Ardyn challenged Ignis to plucking holly leaves from a bush with a golden sickle without letting a single one hit the ground.</p><p>Prompto counted out twenty from each golden dish and called, “Tie.”</p><hr/><p>It was good that Ignis was busy in the library and Prompto had his weird magic chores to do. When Prompto's hands weren't full of dousing rods or faintly glowing bottles, they itched to be all over that fluffy silver tail.</p><hr/><p>In the breakfast nook, Ignis watched Ardyn tell Prompto his chore today would be sorting out rotten magic spheres from whole ones, and made it a challenge instead. Ardyn rolled up the sleeves of a robe that looked exactly like tortoiseshell and agreed. Prompto looked at a pile of identical round rocks and hoped Ignis had a plan.</p><p>“Go!” Prompto called.</p><p>Later, Ignis said it was the same idea as with eggs.</p><p>Ardyn touched each sphere one by one with a piece of gold cloth. The ones that made one kind of roundish rune appear on it he put in one box, and the ones that brought out a squarer one he put in the other. Ignis dumped all his spheres into a big bowl full of water, then sorted the ones that floated from the ones that sank.</p><p>When Prompto called time, Ardyn came over and verified the count.</p><p>“Oh, too bad,” he said, when each set of boxes had the same number of spheres. “Join me for tea later?”</p><hr/><p>The kitchen table was covered in books and the chair was covered in Ignis, who was poring over them while whatever he was making was in the oven. Prompto idly rubbed one soft, soft ear and read over his shoulder.</p><p>Ignis said, “How long do you imagine the sorcerer has been in existence?”</p><p>“I dunno.” It was a little leatherbound book, old enough to have yellow pages and talk about people ftanding on things. “Since always? The stories I heard always talked like he'd been around forever. I mean, the ones goofy enough to talk like he really existed.”</p><p>Prompto laughed a little awkwardly, since you'd have to be pretty nuts to go running off into the woods chasing something basically everybody agreed was made up just because it was the only way you could think of to help your friend.</p><p>Ignis's ears swiveled a bit and Prompto had to focus hard to hear him over how cute that was. “This one is rather interesting. It is an examination of various recurring supernatural beings in fiction, and what their use can tell us about the values and anxieties of the culture in which they are told.”</p><p>Prompto leaned in, half-aware of how his fingers were putting more pressure on the base of Iggy's ears. “What's it tell you about him?”</p><p>“That six hundred years ago, he was a well-established cliché.”</p><p>“Wow.” Prompto tried to work through the old-fashioned text. It had a way of seeming a little clearer when he let his eyes unfocus. “Does that help us?”</p><p>“I confess I'm not cerrrrrtain.”</p><p>Prompto went very quiet. He listened close, and broke into a huge grin when he found out he was right.</p><p>“Dude,” he said, giving the ears a good thorough scratch, “you <em>purr</em>.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The door swung open before Ignis could knock, which he should, to be fair, have expected. </p>
<p>The sorcerer greeted them from just inside with a wave of his arm that made the gray stone texture of his robe wave and fold in a way the eye resented. “Come in, come in. I shall summon up a fresh pot.”  </p>
<p>Balancing the covered tray in one hand, Ignis stepped across the threshold, followed by Prompto. The sorcerer looked to the both of them with a friendly smile that soured when he caught sight of their other companion. </p>
<p>“Come on,” Prompto said, “he won't hurt anything.”</p>
<p>Those wide, sorrowful eyes were an effective spell in themselves. </p>
<p>“If you must,” the sorcerer said. He looked down with distaste at the crocodile on his doorstep. “But at the very least wipe your feet.” </p>
<p>Snap did so diligently before making his way in. As promised, he was no trouble, only taking up a spot of the midnight-black carpet in front of the fireplace and basking in the warmth of the purple flames. </p>
<p>The shelves were full of esoteric items to the point that if the sorcerer did receive the crown of Lucis, Ignis could hardly imagine where he would put it. There was a small green stone statue of a fat man sitting cross-legged, beside a glass case that enclosed a stand holding a faintly shining claw-shaped object that Ignis thought initially was a gem, but at a closer look suspected was a thorn. While he was gazing at a snowglobe marked <i>The Cold Downdrifting From Uqbar it Souvenired</i>, Prompto picked up a bronze sphere and gave it a sniff.</p>
<p>“Ugh,” Prompto said, shoving it away. “Dude, I think your orb's gone bad.” </p>
<p>“It's meant to smell like that,” the sorcerer said. “Take a seat, won't you?” </p>
<p>Ignis set his tray on the coffee table and moved his tail out of the way before taking a place on one of the overstuffed chairs. He was getting used to the thing. His new physical additions gave him an improved balance and enhanced his senses, as well as feeling not unpleasant when Prompto stroked the fur. As curses went, there were surely worse things. </p>
<p>With a brisk clap of the sorcerer's hands, the teapot rose into the air and filled three cups. A small pitcher rose and poured milk into a saucer that settled before Ignis. </p>
<p>“Amusing,” Ignis said flatly, giving the sorcerer a level stare and feeling the end of his tail tap his calf, “but I am not a cat. And in any case milk is poor for their health.” </p>
<p>“My apologies,” the sorcerer said, not remotely apologetically, and vanished the saucer with a wave of his hand. </p>
<p>The tea was ordinary in nature and pleasant in taste. Prompto and the sorcerer were chatting companionably, the sorcerer telling a tale of getting the dungeon properly inhabited with gelatinous monstrosities and accentuating his speech with dramatic gestures. It was strange to see a robe that appeared made of rigid stone fold and sway, but Ignis found a trick of focusing on the end of one sleeve where the texture was flatter and less convincing. Ignis uncovered the tray he had brought and looked up when he noticed the conversation had dissolved away.</p>
<p>For a silence long enough that Ignis could think only of how supernatural beings such as this were known for taking anger at obscure causes, the sorcerer's eyes were fixed on the plate of round, honeyed cakes. </p>
<p>“You made me libum,” Ardyn said softly. </p>
<p>“You'd mentioned it before,” Ignis said. “I stumbled across an old cookbook in the library and thought it worth a try.”</p>
<p>It was simple enough when every conceivable ingredient was at his fingertips. Honey and bay leaves had been gotten from the enchanted cupboard on the first try, though he had had to experiment with the phrasing a bit before getting a proper sort of soft white cheese. </p>
<p>After a moment of hummingbird-like hovering, the sorcerer's hand plucked a cake from the plate. He took a bite and closed his eyes. </p>
<p>“You, uh, okay there, buddy?” Prompto said, after a moment. The fire crackled, and the crocodile beside it let out a long, contented sigh.</p>
<p>“Mhm,” Ardyn said, as if from a great distance. “I have not tasted such a thing in...some time.” </p>
<p>“I imagine not,” Ignis said. </p>
<p>The strategic side of Ignis would find a use for this. It was silent for now, quieted in service of the simple, profound pleasure of a cook's job well done. </p>
<p>The sorcerer opened his eyes and seemed to remember his company. </p>
<p>“Well,” he said with sudden cheer. “While you boys are here, how would you like to see your prince?” </p>
<p>To Ignis's surprise, Prompto said, “You want me to give it another shot? I bet I can make it hold longer this time.” </p>
<p>“Later, perhaps,” said the sorcerer. “This time I shall do the honors.” </p>
<p>“'Another shot?'” Ignis said, shaping the words into a lingering question as his tail curved into an arc beside him. </p>
<p>“Oh.” Prompto's ears tinged with pink, as they did when he was mingling shyness and pride. “Ardyn showed me a couple tricks.”</p>
<p>He mentioned it as though he were saying the sorcerer had taught him an interesting fact about owls. Ignis turned his gaze on the sorcerer, who was lifting the lid and glancing into the teapot. </p>
<p>“You mean to say Prompto has a gift for magic,” Ignis said. </p>
<p>“Oh, it's no rare thing,” said the sorcerer. “Everyone has some degree of potential. Honing it into something useful is simply a matter of practice and instruction, like playing the cithara.”</p>
<p>Prompto said, “The who? Woah!” </p>
<p>That was in response to the sorcerer tossing the contents of the teapot into the air. Instead of splashing against the tapestry on the wall, the liquid remained suspended and formed itself into a flat, smooth plane that lost its color and shone like silver glass. It reflected the three of them around the table, then, with a sweep of the sorcerer's hand, reflected the Lucian throne room. </p>
<p>“Hey, Noct,” Prompto said softly. </p>
<p>He was standing there, Gladio behind him, beside the throne his father occupied. His face was focused and attentive, no longer a startling white against the black of his formal uniform. The silver breast button he had been constantly insisting he would reaffix himself was there and, Ignis realized with a jolt to his heart, slightly off-center in evidence of his own handiwork. When he spoke, though there was no sound, his posture and the confidence of his motion told all they needed.</p>
<p>“He has practiced,” Ignis said, a quiet smile of pride turning his lips.</p>
<p>The point of view pulled back to reveal the assemblage in the throne room. A delegation had arrived from Tenebrae, it appeared, including the prince and princess, doubtless there to offer their congratulations on Noct's recovery. The princess, being a close friend to Noct and of a strong will beneath her demure appearance, would have insisted. Hearing of his miraculous recovery was nothing to the ease to the heart that came from seeing him.</p>
<p>“Look, he's gaining weight back,” Prompto said, pointing. “You can see it in his cheeks.”</p>
<p>“Vermillion fever is a greedy disease,” said Ardyn. “It will take some time to restore what was stolen, but in the end he will be rather better than new. The curative brings a permanent improvement to the constitution.” </p>
<p>Prompto looked to the sorcerer where he sat back in the shadows of his wingchair. The sunlight streaming from the image of the airy throne room made Prompto's eyes especially large and blue. “Hey. I know I should have said this before, but, thank you.” </p>
<p>“Just holding up my end of the bargain." Ardyn's face was veiled by the motion of his unruly hair as he took another of the libum from the plate. The assemblage in the image moved in the silent dance of diplomacy, and the crocodile on the rug snuffled in his sleep. </p>
<p>Ignis watched his prince greet each emissary personally, performing the bow Ignis had practiced with him so many times. Fist over the heart, back straight. “We owe you more than I can say.” </p>
<p>“Then out of gratitude you will gracefully concede our competition?” </p>
<p>Ignis him a sidelong glance. “I'm afraid not.” </p>
<p>“Oh well.” The sorcerer's spread-handed shrug was theatrical. “You can't fault me for trying.” </p>
<p>“So hey,” Prompto said, gazing at the image as the white-clad princess of Tenebrae came forward to clasp Noct's hand, “anybody can do this? Really? I know I've done a couple party trick type things, but this kind of deal...You don't need to be, like, a seventh son born on a night with a full moon or anything?” </p>
<p>“Not at all.” The sorcerer's chuckle was a warm liquid. “It's only a matter of training. It is true, however, that everyone has the potential for their own area of expertise at the end of the mage's road, a certain style and direction of their power that uniquely suits them. Though whether these special little talents of the heart are inborn or develop along with the personality is a matter for the philosophers.” </p>
<p>“Like what?” Prompto shifted on the couch with a rasp of fabric that made Ignis's ear flick.  “Ooh, what would Noct's be?” </p>
<p>“Why my dear boy, to make such a determination instantaneously by remote viewing would require a practitioner of nigh unimaginable power and skill.” </p>
<p>“Oh,” Prompto said, and gave an abashed look to his shoe. </p>
<p>A moment passed.</p>
<p>“Well, what are you waiting for?” the sorcerer said brightly. He gestured toward the both of them. “Gather round.” </p>
<p>Prompto and Ignis took places behind the sorcerer's chair. From there they had an excellent view of the floating image, and the curious sway of Ignis's tail was less conspicuous. The vantage point on the throne room lowered to the height of a man and moved through the crowd, weaving between guards and over the shoulders of dignitaries until it came to rest just before Noct's face.</p>
<p>“So it's like a camera?” Prompto said. "You can move it around?” </p>
<p>“With sufficient control, yes,” the sorcerer said. “I believe you could grasp the principle, after some extensive private instruction.” </p>
<p>Prompto, eyes on the image, did not see the violence of Ignis's twitching ears. </p>
<p>“Were you not going to give us a demonstration?” Ignis said, voice as neutral as his additional appendages were not. </p>
<p>“Of course, of course.” The sorcerer leaned forward,  hands beneath his chin, and fixed his yellow eyes on the crystalline reflection of Noct. “Little prince, one day to rise, tell us where your talent lies...” </p>
<p>“Must you rhyme?” </p>
<p>“It's for style,” Prompto whispered. </p>
<p>“Ahh, fascinating.” The sorcerer was watching Noct, whose eyes were no longer sheened with the terrible glassiness of fever, but dark and animated as they should be. “Your so well-loved prince holds the potential to be a warper of space. A dancer between dimensions, teleporting objects or his body itself to wheresoever he may desire.” </p>
<p>“Rather convenient, for someone who hates walking from place to place,” Ignis said, a smile urging at his lips despite himself. </p>
<p>“He'd be so lazy,” Prompto said. “It'd be so cool.” </p>
<p>“Oh, but who is this behind him?” The spell's focus shifted behind Noct and upwards. </p>
<p>“That's Gladio,” said Prompto. “He's the Shield. His job is he beats the crap out of anybody who has it out for Noct.” </p>
<p>“How suitable.” The sorcerer leaned on his fist and gazed like a man perusing a wine rack. “A man who has clearly done much to forge his body. His talent would be self-transmutation; that is to say, shifting the substance of himself to suit his purpose. Large or small, steadfast or paper-thin. Stone, diamond, smoke.”</p>
<p>Prompto said, “Sweet. Though he's pretty much a rock already.”</p>
<p>Ignis said, “He'd like having something new in which to train.” </p>
<p>His Majesty appeared, seated on the throne, crown waiting gracefully above his ear. “As for King Regis Lucis Caelum the One Hundred and Thirteenth... Ah, an abjurer. A defensive mage, specializing in the creation of impenetrable barriers and impassable walls. An adept could protect an entire country through will alone. And who are these fine fellows?” </p>
<p>“That's Nyx and Drautos,” Prompto said. “They're in the king's squad of badasses.” </p>
<p>“More commonly referred to as the Glaive,” said Ignis, “though I believe Nyx would prefer your description.” </p>
<p>“Flight and levitation for the one with the tiny tattoos, darkness manipulation for the stern-looking gentleman.”</p>
<p>Prompto was becoming engaged in the game. It was apparent in the way he leaned forward, and in how he thoughtlessly took hold of Ignis's swishing tail. “How about the prince of Tenebrae?” </p>
<p>“The large, scowling man?” At confirmation, the sorcerer looked closely for a moment, then nodded. “A metallurgist. Iron and steel would shape at his touch and sing at his command.” </p>
<p>Though it took some effort to focus when Prompto was stroking his tail, Ignis said, “I suppose Lady Lunafreya holds a similar potential.”</p>
<p>“Let me see.” The sorcerer was enjoying himself. “Why, this is rare. Mastery of fell creatures, the skill to communicate and call aid across vast swathes of realities...your lady is a summoner.” </p>
<p>“<i>So</i> cool,” Prompto said, working his fingers into Ignis's fur. “We gotta tell everybody when we get back.” </p>
<p>“We will have many things to rrregale them with.” </p>
<p>Two pairs of eyes turned to Ignis. He kept his gaze fixed on the image of the court adjourning and said, “Is something the matt-- amiss?”</p>
<p>“Nope,” Prompto said, though his face said otherwise. “Nothing.” </p>
<p>“In any case,” the sorcerer said, taking his eyes away from Ignis's swiveling ears by a rare act of grace, “that's all for today's entertainment. Lastly I shall show you a fundamental trick. Though rhyming incantations are not strictly necessary, there are a few common, simple commands that are often useful.” </p>
<p>He held up his empty teacup and said, “Be what you are, and come home.” </p>
<p>The image faded, and the silver sheet of suspended liquid turned translucent and tea-colored. It gathered itself up and poured neatly into the sorcerer's cup. He summoned up a small flame in his palm that he held to the base for a moment, then took a sip. </p>
<p>“So hey,” Prompto said, ruffling the end of Ignis's tail, “what about us? What're our hidden talents? I mean, if everybody has one.” </p>
<p>“Though in that case,” said Ignis, as his hands alternated in pressing against the back of the chair, “it suggests you must have one as well.” </p>
<p>“Oh, at my level of absurd omnipotence, such things hardly register. As for you two, I think...”</p>
<p>His eyes flicked from Prompto to Ignis, who made his hands still. </p>
<p>“...not.” The sorcerer smiled, half of his face painted by the firelight. “Isn't it more fun to figure things out for yourselves?”</p>
<hr/>
<p>The energy from seeing Noct alive and well lay quietly in Ignis, but sent Prompto bounding up the spiral stone staircase. The crocodile followed more decorously after. Such a low center of gravity made stairs a challenging affair. </p>
<p>“So what d'you think your specialty'd be, if you were a wizard?” Prompto said as they walked into Ignis's airy room. The gauzy green curtains lifted in the breeze, framing a small potted rosemary plant, provided on request by the enchanted chest, that rested on the windowsill. “You're already basically magic at cooking. Is being smart at stuff a power?”</p>
<p>“I can't begin to imagine,” said Ignis, who suspected, if it was truly based off of one's most fundamental personality, he would rather not know. “I have never attempted magic, though it appears you've dabbled.” </p>
<p>The addition of cat's ears had a broad effect on the senses. The fine fur at the edges caught the eddies of air from the window in an interesting way, and they clearly heard the scrape of Snap's claws on the floor as he settled down in the corner. They also made it possible to pick up a guilty catch of Prompto's breath that might, in other conditions, have passed beneath Ignis's notice. </p>
<p>“Was I not supposed to?” Prompto caught his lip between his teeth. In an instant Ignis had taken him from exuberant to crestfallen. “It's not a bad thing, right? I didn't sell my soul to any monsters. I only made some stuff show up on water. I just wanted to see if I could.” </p>
<p>“It is not you I am concerned about,” Ignis said. “It's your instructor who worries me. He is not the sort of creature to give gifts without strings attached.” </p>
<p>Thick, binding, caressing strings.</p>
<p>“It's just a couple tricks. He didn't have me sign a contract or anything. Honestly, I think he's...” </p>
<p>“He's what?” Ignis said, when Prompto didn't seem about to continue. </p>
<p>“...bored,” Prompto concluded. “Being able to do anything he wants must get old, especially if you're right and he's like six hundred. I think he's showing me stuff for fun.” </p>
<p>“Or for an opportunity to trap you with promises of power.” Ignis sat on the bed with some care. The quilt had the look of an antique. “In the future, it's best to politely decline. The generosity of fel creatures is never to be trusted.” </p>
<p>“He looks more like a guy than a creature to me,” said Prompto, sitting next to him. “Just one who can do magic.” </p>
<p>Which was perfectly within the realm of humanity, if Prompto was capable. So it seemed arcane power could flow through a young man as wholesome and homelike as the sound of a door banging open on a summer's day. Noct would be amazed, and want to see any trick he learned a dozen times over.</p>
<p>Ignis cleared his throat. “Do you recall that wrestling match?” </p>
<p>“The one the other day? Uh, yeah, dude.” There was a touch of color in Prompto's cheeks from the effort of climbing the stairs. </p>
<p>“I had a deal of contact with our sorcerer.” Ignis let the words stand divorced from the memory of the large man's skin and muscle against him, slick with the treacherous oil. “I thought something was strange, but it took me some time to name it.” </p>
<p>Prompto was toying with Ignis's tail once again. There was no blaming him. It had fallen in his lap, after all. “Yeah?” </p>
<p>In the roar of the inhuman crowd, the huff of the sorcerers laugh, and the sight of Prompto's awestruck face, Ignis had nearly missed important intelligence. “He doesn't have a heartbeat.” </p>
<p>“Seriously? Is that even possible?”</p>
<p>“It appears to be, for him. I intend to find out what he is. I doubt it's anything so simple as human.” </p>
<p>“Oh.” Prompto's eyes fell to Ignis's tail. His fingers worried the fur. “He eats food, though.” </p>
<p>A faint smile passed over Ignis's face. “He does do that.” </p>
<p>Prompto stroked his tail, a long, soothing motion. The true curse of it was how it attracted Prompto's hands. Every touch made it more difficult to ignore how easy it would be to drift sideways until he was lying in his lap, where he could let Prompto caress the ears to his heart's content. How simple to ignore the truth that a man like Prompto needed a rich, vibrant place for his affections to take root, not the thin and stony soil that was all Ignis could provide, where his feelings would strangle and wither. Each day he wore the feline features, Prompto grew bolder about touching them, and Ignis grew more tempted to sprawl across him, caress him in return, and set them on a path that led to Prompto's broken heart. </p>
<p>Something would have to be done. </p>
<p>“At my guess,” Ignis said, to the quiet and thoughtful Prompto, as the light from the window gave a glow to his hair, “your talent would have to do with sunlight.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Just as Ignis had finished performing his morning ablutions with water that came hot from the ewer, eating a few figs from the everfull bowl, and making sure that the warddrobe door remained cracked open for the messenger bat who had taken up residence there, the chocobo-marked mirror on the dresser chirped. </p>
<p>The mirror displayed the message <i>Good morning!</i> in unnecessarily ornate letters. In a moment they faded away to show the familiar map of the castle, with one room circled. </p>
<p>He met Prompto on the way down the stairs, and they ventured into the designated door. </p>
<p>It opened into a place of stone, though not a dark one. Shafts of sunlight shot through openings in the rock above and glittered on the waters of the natural pool that occupied half the space. The water-scented air felt tropically warm, and flecks of mica glittered in the walls. Turning, Ignis saw that it was not a true cave but a grotto, open on one side to waves that lapped white sand on what appeared to be an island shore. Distant palm trees swayed in the breeze.</p>
<p>“Neat,” said Prompto. </p>
<p>“Why, thank you,” said Ardyn, stepping out from behind a stalagmite not broad enough to conceal him. He wore a robe that was sunrise-colored at the hem, rising at an angle toward the predawn dark at the shoulders. “Lovely to see you boys. Bright-eyed and bushytailed, I trust?” </p>
<p>“Yep!” said Prompto. “What've you got up your sleeve for us today?” </p>
<p>“Before that,” Ignis said, ignoring the urge to go to the edge of the water and sniff the surface, and with a lash of a tail that was no bushier than ordinary, “there was something I wished to ask.” </p>
<p>The sorcerer folded his hands into his sleeves. Dull cloth met bright. “Please, go right ahead.” </p>
<p>With effort, Ignis kept his extra, unnatural ears from moving in the expressive way they wished. “Would there be any way to remove this curse?” </p>
<p>“There are methods,” the sorcerer said, to Ignis's great relief. “If you find it so burdensome.” </p>
<p>“You don't like the ears?” Prompto said. Ignis made the mistake of casting a glance that filled his eyes with his friend's crestfallen face. Doubtless he was close to asking if he could have Ignis lay his head in his lap so he might toy with them to his heart's content, and Ignis could not say he would have the wherewithal to say no. Doing this was imperative, and none too soon.</p>
<p>“As entertaining as Noct's reaction would be, I cannot stay this way forever,” said Ignis. </p>
<p>Prompto drew his lower lip through his teeth. “I guess not.” </p>
<p>Ignis's eyes fixed on the sorcerer. “What must I do?” </p>
<p>“Therein lies the difficulty.” He shaped his mouth into a moue of mock regret. “It's always such a trial to keep the correct reagents on hand. I've plenty of charcoal and incense, but that's of no use without the proper mixture of herbs, and while I am afflicted with excessive rosemary, the tarragon has just begun to germinate, and I've no sorrel at all. I am also fresh out of mercury and wisps of smoke.”</p>
<p>“You'll send me on a quest in search of some?” said Ignis. In that case he would have to learn to live as he was. There was no time to waste in extra endeavors. </p>
<p>“Not necessarily.” The sorcerer smiled. “As luck would have it, there is more than one way to skin a cat.” </p>
<p>Ignis refused to give him the satisfaction of groaning. </p>
<p>“It is an interesting fact,” the sorcerer continued, “that in some languages, a curse is not <i>broken</i> but <i>melted</i>. It may be the more accurate term. Those fetching ears and tail, Count Scientia, are caused by an imperceptible, invisible substance adhering to your skin. Being a not particularly powerful variety, it can be removed by a concentrated application of heat.” </p>
<p>Dread weighted Ignis's stomach, but he could face pain. “You mean it must be burned off.” </p>
<p>“What?” Ardyn's eyebrows leapt, and among the relief was a sliver of satisfaction in catching him wrongfooted. “No, of course not, that is terrible. A much more delicate source is required.”</p>
<p>“Like?” said Prompto, who looked as though he would like to be taking notes.</p>
<p>“Well,” said the sorcerer, “the most effective is someone's hands.”</p>
<p>Despite his efforts, Ignis's ears folded back. “You are joking.”</p>
<p>“Not at all. The truth is reflected in many word for the arcane arts; prestidigitation, legerdemain, manipulation.” He opened his hands, broad and clad in black fingerless gloves. “More than any wand or staff, one's own hands are the most fundamental tool.” </p>
<p>“So, a wizard has to touch him?” said Prompto.</p>
<p>“Extensively, vigorously, and thoroughly. Though not necessarily an adept. Anyone would be capable, with the proper guidance. Out of the goodness of my...better nature, I volunteer.”</p>
<p>During the wrestling match the sorcerer's skin had felt slick and human, and the look on Prompto's face in the stands had been fascination. </p>
<p>“Let it be,” said Ignis. “I will live with them.” </p>
<p>The reflection of light off the water swam across the sorcerer's affectation of sympathy. “Now, I cannot let a guest of mine remain in such distress. If you will disrobe, my dear Count?” </p>
<p>“Wait,” said Prompto. </p>
<p>The stab of hope was unworthy, the perk of his ears irrepressible. </p>
<p>Prompto's face was set in determination. “I'll do it.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>Prompto was ready with all kinds of arguments, like that Ignis had gotten catted standing up for him so it was only right that he should help him fix it.</p>
<p>Ignis's fluffy silver tail curled into a hook just above the stone floor. He said, “All right.” </p>
<p>“Promise I won't be weird about it,” Prompto said under his breath, and Ignis gave him a tight smile that made his heart do something funny. </p>
<p>He was just glad he'd already taken a bunch of pictures. </p>
<p>“First, we shall need a proper location,” Ardyn said. He clapped his hands and a piece of the cave wall crumbled away to show a little room with a patterned carpet, a low couch and cushions strewn all around. When they stepped in, the carpet was plush enough that Prompto's boots sank into it. </p>
<p>“Was this here before?” Prompto said, gazing around. </p>
<p>“It was here precisely when I needed it to be,” said Ardyn. “Now, Count Scientia, as full physical access is essential to this process, I must ask you to strip to the undergarments. And if I might borrow your spectacles a moment?” </p>
<p>Ignis seemed to hesitate more about handing over his glasses than about getting naked. He did it, though, setting them into Ardyn's hand before he started unbuttoning his shirt. </p>
<p>“Could I not do this myself?” Ignis said, and did this thing where he hooked his thumb under his suspenders to pull them off his shoulders that had no right to be as hot as it was. “If contact is the factor, I have hands of my own.” </p>
<p>“I'm afraid not,” Ardyn said, and Prompto was hit with something that was either disappointment coated in relief or vice versa. “A curse cannot be removed in his way by its own target. One must accept the kindness of friends.” </p>
<p>He touched the rim of the glasses with one finger. A magenta glow washed over the lenses and then faded. </p>
<p>“What was that?” Ignis said sharply, pulling his shirt untucked from his pants. His cat ears twitched. </p>
<p>“Nothing harmful, I assure you, only a temporary enchantment. Prompto will be able to discern the shape and placement of the curse. Here you are.” </p>
<p>Ardyn gestured, and the glasses lifted themselves into the air and perched on Prompto's face. Prompto blinked at the slight weirdness the magnification gave to everything. Then Ignis shrugged his shirt off, and it was probably good to have a little bit of a barrier between his eyes and those abs. Iggy being Iggy, he folded his shirt up and set it on a shiny orange cushion. </p>
<p>Finding the curse was Prompto's job here, so there was a good reason to run his eyes all over Ignis's muscles and crazy strong core. It wasn't like the time in the bath, when it would have been weird to let them stick there too long. He only looked as much as he needed to, though. The idea was to get this done, no muss, no fuss, no staring and drooling. But something was off. </p>
<p>“Uh, buddy, you might wanna try the enchantment thing again,” Prompto said. “I don't see any curse.”</p>
<p>Just a whole lot of gold skin. Easy, boy. Just keep the ogling to a reasonable minimum. Ignis was looking kind of bemused already, though that could just be the lack of glasses making his face look weird. </p>
<p>“You must concentrate,” Ardyn said. “Look very closely.” </p>
<p>“Okay,” Prompto said. He breathed in deep and bounced like a prepping boxer, trying not to notice Iggy's eyes on him or  his tail swaying back and forth. “Okay.” </p>
<p>Ignis's left shoulder seemed like a safe enough thing to stare at, even if it was as obnoxiously beautiful as everything else. Concentrate. Prompto did that as much as he could without knowing exactly what he was concentrating on. Look. See what's there. Let the light slide where it needs to be. </p>
<p>When the enchantment kicked in, Prompto knew it by the glimmer on Ignis's skin. It was a silver shine curled in a whorl like a translucent tattoo. </p>
<p>“Got it!” Prompto said. “It's like a reflection – or like somebody painted on you with glitter.”</p>
<p>The corner of Ignis's mouth twitched, and that was just as amazing a thing to see. “Then I doubly request your assistance in getting it off.” </p>
<p>Well, that was as clear an invitation as anybody was ever going to get. Slowly, aware of the wizard watching, Prompto reached out and put his hand on Ignis's shoulder. </p>
<p>Okay, that was warm. Real warm, firm muscle. Concentrate, you've got a job to do. Prompto rubbed his thumb against the tapered end of the silvery pattern high on Ignis's arm. Ignis's breathing changed a little, and so did Prompto's. </p>
<p>“Look,” Prompto said, his eyes widening behind the borrowed glasses. He worked at the bit of silver more firmly. It smudged and moved, and elation hit him. He was doing it. He was doing something right. “It's coming off.” </p>
<p>Ignis looked, though it was a tough angle to get a look at his own shoulder and he wouldn't be able to see the magic anyway, without the glasses and Ardyn's spell. “That's right. Keep it up.”</p>
<p>That kind of dignified encouragement was so much like Iggy that Prompto had to smile. It was just like back when Prompto was out in the yard training with the Crownsguard, working towards earning his place. Ignis would watch sometimes and give a little nod of approval before heading on his way, and you'd think he'd forgotten about it except for the towels and cold water that appeared when you were done. That was the thing about Ignis; he was thoughtful in these little quiet ways that most people wouldn't even think of.</p>
<p>Prompto rubbed his thumb followed the silvery path along to high on Ignis's chest. It seemed to come a little quicker and easier, loosening its grip at the warmth of his hand. </p>
<p>Ignis's chest was moving up and down in a slow, measured way as Prompto worked, following the silver stains that branched and curled like the fancy bits carved into Noct's furniture. Prompto got up the courage to use both hands on his other arm, pressing with the full palm and stroking together down to his wrist. Man, Iggy had nice hands. The silver pattern didn't reach that far, though, so there wasn't any reason to touch them. </p>
<p>A sound of cloth shifting made them both look away. </p>
<p>“Oh, don't mind me,” Ardyn said. He was reclining on his elbow on the cushions by the wall, dangling a bunch of grapes toward his mouth. “Just overseeing the process.” </p>
<p>Funny enough, it kind of made things less awkward, knowing that neither of them was the weird one here. Ignis gave this wry quirk of a smile that made Prompto's hands slip a little down his chest, but the marks he was working on came off easy, anyway. </p>
<p>The silver trails ran along the curve of Iggy's real nice pecs, branching around to his back and down his ribs, so that was where Prompto's hands went too, working around and feeling him breathe. When you saw him being all graceful and bendy a lot, you forgot how solid with muscle he really was. That could be intimidating, if you didn't know he was the kind of guy who'd make a cake for his prince's friend's birthday when he didn't even know him real well. He just thought people should have a cake. </p>
<p>The silver lines on his hips melted away like chocolate.</p>
<p>“It's working,” Ignis said, quiet like he was being careful not to break Prompto's concentration. “I can feel the curse weakening.” </p>
<p>“I'll take your word for it,” Prompto said, looking away from the front of his underwear where there was just a physical thing that happened when somebody got touched a lot and focusing instead on the tail sweeping back and forth behind him. It was too bad it was going to be gone. Ignis really pulled it off. Really nice to touch, too. But whether Iggy wanted to be slightly cat or not was up to Iggy. </p>
<p>“Uh,” Prompto said. He swallowed. “It goes, uh, under, there.” </p>
<p>Ignis, looking strange without his glasses and definitely suppressing the urge to say <i>under where?</i>, said, “Go on. It's all right.” </p>
<p>It wasn't much, anyway. All Prompto had to do was slip his hands under the sides of Ignis's underwear so he could get the bits of silver that ran down his legs. It only took a second, and the feeling of the cloth holding his hands against Ignis's hot skin barely made Prompto heart-thuddingly dizzy at all. It just distracted him a little as he knelt and worked on getting the marks of magic off of Ignis's thighs, so that he was cradling both calves in his hands before he noticed that the calming sound he was hearing was a deep, constant purr.</p>
<p>Prompto's hands followed the last trailing line of silver down to Ignis's ankles. He worked his palms over them, back and forth, until the purr and the color dissolved at the same time. </p>
<p>Prompto stayed there a second in silence. After working his way down, more than anything, he wanted to kiss his way back up. But he wasn't on the right level, and never would be. Ignis should have somebody sleek and glamorous, somebody at his rank...no, that was an excuse. A goose girl could be right for him, if she was one of those goose girls who broke a spell by being clever and figuring out where the witch's hidden treasure was. Not somebody like Prompto, who'd once gotten his fingers stuck in a blacksmith's puzzle. It wasn't that he was a commoner; it was that he just wasn't bright enough. </p>
<p>So Prompto just stood up like a good, normal person, one who didn't have the warmth of anybody's body lingering on his palms.</p>
<p>“Well,” he said, “there you go. All done.” </p>
<p>He'd gotten so used to Ignis with the cat ears that he looked strange without them. Just dark blond hair, no silvery points. Just his own grace, no tail waving behind him. Ignis reached up and patted the top of his own head. </p>
<p>“They're truly gone,” he said, with faint amazement. “Thank you, Prompto.” </p>
<p>“Yeah.” Prompto's eyes wandered down to the plush carpet. Of course Ardyn was the kind of guy who magically carpeted a cave. Prompto should have been glad. He'd done something magic, and it had worked. Plus he'd gotten a chance to touch Ignis a lot. He should have been thinking about being grateful for that, not about how he would never get to do it again, and never feel Ignis touching him like that in return. “Back to normal. Oh, here.”</p>
<p>He took Ignis's glasses off, blinked away the weirdness of the change in his vision, and held them out. Their fingertips brushed as Ignis took them, and after everything, that should not have been the thrill it was. </p>
<p>With his glasses back on Iggy looked more normal, even mostly naked. “Well then. Back to business, with that taken care of. Where do you intend to set our next challenge?” </p>
<p>“Here and now,” the sorcerer said. He unfolded up off of the cushions. There was nothing left of the grapes but a stem that he burnt up with a little magical flame. “That remarkable performance has inspired me. I've the perfect contest in mind.” </p>
<p>Good. They could get it done quick and then Prompto could go somewhere and set his mind to ignoring the longing inside him until it went away. </p>
<p>“Name it,” said Ignis.</p>
<p>“Something very simple.” Ardyn was all smiles, and made a wide gesture that swept his sunrise-colored sleeve around like a banner. “We strive to see who can give our dear Prompto more pleasure; you with your body, or me with my power.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The feeling of Ignis's skin was all over Prompto's hands, and he could not have heard that right. </p>
<p>If he'd had, say, an hour, he would have thought it through more. If he'd had just a little while to cool down. If the desire he couldn't do anything about hadn't been brought up to right under the surface of his skin where it was tender as a fresh bruise. </p>
<p>If just about anything had been an inch in another direction, Prompto would never have looked right at Ardyn and said, “Yes.” </p>
<p>Then he looked at Ignis and said, “Uh, I mean, if that's all right with you.” </p>
<p>Ignis looked strange. There was color in his skin from being touched so much, and Prompto's eyes kept trying to find a lashing tail. Prompto's throat was tight and dry. </p>
<p>Ignis, not looking away, said, “No harm will come to him?” </p>
<p>“Certainly not. That would be rather counterproductive, hm? Should he dislike our attentions, all he need do for us to cease is to say the word <i>'abi-dalzim'</i>-”</p>
<p>“How about 'stop?'” Prompto suggested. </p>
<p>Ardyn waved his hand, casting shadows on the alcove's wall. “Oh, fine, if you wish to be prosaic about it.” </p>
<p>“In that case,” Ignis said. He held his hands behind his back like he did when he was standing behind Noct at court, and he was a man who could look dignified in his underwear. “I agree.” </p>
<p>It was pretty amazing that Prompto could even hear that over the pounding of his heart. </p>
<p>“Splendid.” Was the wizard smiling a bad sign? He actually had a kind of nice smile, like he had a secret but he was letting you in on the joke. “Shall we begin immediately?” </p>
<p>“Uh,” Prompto said. Man, Ignis's eyes were really hard to look away from. “Yeah. Just gonna get my clothes off.” </p>
<p>The sorcerer flexed his hands and wriggled his fingers so quick the glove and dark sleeve blurred and seemed to turn his whole left hand black. “Leave that to me and Mordenkainen.” </p>
<p>“You and wh- woah!” </p>
<p>Ardyn snapped his fingers and a shining silver sword appeared in midair. Ignis hissed through his teeth as it drifted toward Prompto in a purposeful kind of way, like a cat checking out something that smelled good. The flat of the blade set itself lengthwise along the center of Prompto's chest, giving a cool tingle through his shirt, then sidled sideways and popped off all his buttons at once.</p>
<p>The sword floated up into the air, gave a little flourish, and broke into two halves that shrank down into balls of silver glow. Those morphed into glowing hands that took hold of Prompto's shirt at the shoulders, and he lifted his arms up so they should pull it off. They folded it up, placed it on a cushion in the corner, and vanished. </p>
<p>The air in the grotto was warm, but the hairs on Prompto's arms still prickled. </p>
<p>Ignis said, “That was the least efficient possible way to do that.” </p>
<p>“It was pretty awesome,” Prompto admitted. </p>
<p>Ardyn smiled, and crooked his finger at Ignis. “You'd best get to work, my dear Count. It appears you are already behind.” </p>
<p>You'd think having a guy like Ardyn looming on one side would steal your attention, but Prompto's eyes were stuck on Ignis. Him having a couple hairs out of place and color in his cheeks, wearing nothing but underwear and his glasses: it all added up to a whole different person from the Iggy in the real world. </p>
<p>The first time Prompto had met Noct's right-hand man, he'd been scared of ever being caught long at the point of that sharp an attention. Eventually he'd gotten brave enough to be envious. </p>
<p>Ignis lifted his hands toward Prompto's waist and said, “If I may?” </p>
<p>Prompto nodded and managed, “Yeah.” </p>
<p>Ignis's hands always looked so graceful. They always moved like they were playing piano, even when they were chopping an onion or opening a belt. The backs of his fingers brushed Prompto's stomach, and he had to focus on keeping his breathing normal. He even managed to mostly keep it together when Ignis took his pants off and slid them down, underwear along with them. </p>
<p>Ignis folded his clothes up, too. </p>
<p>Then he was there, looking at Prompto. It wasn't anything to get nervous about. Prompto was proud of the shape he was in, and it wasn't like it was anything Ignis hadn't seen before. Just without plants in the way, this time. Just slow, and quiet, and between them.</p>
<p>Ardyn gestured like he was grabbing something out of the air, and when he opened his hand it was full of twinkling blue motes. He blew, and they drifted out in a cone and landed all over that side of Prompto's body in little pinpricks of frost that made him shiver. His nipples went hard, too, which he would have been sheepish about except he was busy with Ignis sucking on one. </p>
<p>His left nipple was so, so lucky. </p>
<p>His hand was halfway in the air when he managed, “C, can I touch back?” </p>
<p>“There is no rule that states you mayn't,” said the wizard. Five egg-sized purple spheres appeared above his open hand and wheeled around in a circle. </p>
<p>A double negative was a little more than Prompto could follow right now, but when Ignis went <i>Mm-hm,</i> he got the idea. He let his hand finish its trip and settle in Ignis's hair. Even though he should have expected it, it was still kind of a surprise how stiff it was.</p>
<p>“You found magic hair wax somewhere,” Prompto said, forgetting he was naked for a second and smiling.  </p>
<p>Ignis looked up at him like they were talking anywhere, like always. “The wardrobes provide.” </p>
<p>Something about the light in here made his eyes warm, and really green. </p>
<p>Ignis was a good guy. He made sure the right nipple was lucky, too. </p>
<p>Just as the other hand was burying in Iggy's hair for good measure, the spheres drifted out of Ardyn's hand. They flew toward Prompto like moths and landed in a ring around his shoulders. </p>
<p>“Ah!” Prompto's hands grabbed tighter than he meant to. </p>
<p>Wherever the little orbs landed they gave him a tingling kind of charge. It was warmer and stranger than electricity, something that hummed below hearing. They stayed in one place for a second then rolled down, traveling down him back and front, rolling over his ribs, the small of his back, his ass, and leaving buzzing trails all over his skin. </p>
<p>Prompto mostly kept himself from making any embarrassing noises right up until Ignis stopped following the path of  the orbs with his eyes and started following them with his hands. Then he found out that the grotto could echo back moans.</p>
<p>Wherever Ignis's hands stroked over the trails the orbs left, something about the warm human touch over the prickle of the magic combined into a sensation like if a burn could feel wonderful. The orbs vanished into little puffs of purple smoke but the feeling was slow to fade, and when it did Prompto ran right into the fact that yeah, that was Ignis caressing his chest and kissing the hollow of his throat. </p>
<p>Prompto half let his eyes slip closed, then stopped them, because he had to watch Ardyn. He did some sort of mime thing that made two blobs of magenta light appear and shift into the shape of hands, like floating armor gloves nobody was wearing. </p>
<p>When they came and settled on Prompto's shoulders, the “oh!” he made was half from the zap and half from Ignis nibbling on his collarbone. </p>
<p>“How is that?” Ardyn said, sounding exactly like when Noct was pretending not to care but actually fishing for compliments. The sunrise colors on his robe moved too slowly to see.</p>
<p>“K, kind of tingly,” Prompto managed. “But it's nice. Ah, Iggy...” </p>
<p>While Ignis kissed his chest, the floating hands rubbed his shoulders. They were more electric that then orbs had been, pins and needles that were almost pain. It would have been a little scary if it weren't for having Ignis there. Ignis's mouth pressing kisses down the front of him and making his heart beat tripletime would be scary, too, the way dreams coming true was, but there wasn't much time to think about that when there were electric hands tweaking his nipples. </p>
<p>There wasn't any kind of magic that could make Prompto's heart flip as much as Ignis lowering himself to his knees, brushing his lips against his stomach, and saying to himself, “Ah, lovely.” </p>
<p><i>You mean that, Iggy?</i> he was about to say, but the electric hands grabbing his ass made it come out as, “Youuuoooh!” </p>
<p>“My, would you look at that,” Ardyn said. His eyes were on Prompto's cock, which was hard enough he could feel every time the air moved. “Simply begging for attention. But who shall have the privilege...” </p>
<p>Prompto's eyes widened. “M, maybe easy on the lightning hands there.” </p>
<p>The gloves dissolved away at Ardyn's low, throaty laugh, leaving a hum on Prompto's skin. “Of course. I've something much more suitable for...sensitive regions.” </p>
<p>Ardyn drew his hands apart, then lifted them up like he was raising something invisible. The light in the grotto didn't change, but inky shadows appeared in a pool around Prompto's feet. Tendrils of darkness rose from them, and one wrapped around Prompto's leg in an affectionate little hug. It felt slick, and unexpectedly warm. </p>
<p>“Woah,” Prompto whispered. “It's like a friendly octopus.” </p>
<p>“I won't be played for a sucker,” said Ignis, and got right back on center stage by wrapping his lips around Prompto's cock. </p>
<p>The ceiling was rock, but smooth from the magic that had carved it out. Prompto watched the flecks of shiny stuff in it flicker. Sometimes, he remembered to blink. His mental energy wasn't really going towards thinking or seeing right now, since feeling was gobbling up all the resources for itself. One half of him was focusing on the warm, slick tendril of darkness that was working its way inside him, just as friendly as the vines had been but so much thicker. The other half was trying to deal with Ignis swallowing his cock. </p>
<p>He didn't know which half had it harder, but they were both so, so lucky. </p>
<p>There wasn't just the one tentacle. There were lots rising out of the ground at his feet and twining up his legs, giving muscular hugs to his thighs. A few steps away Ardyn was gesturing, and just when one hand made a quick jump sideways, a tendril smacked Prompto in the ass and made him squeak. Which taught him that there was a relation between Ardyn's hands and how the tentacles moved, and also that a mouthful of dick didn't stop Ignis from making a disapproving noise. </p>
<p>“All right, all right,” Ardyn said, with a dark burl of amusement that made Prompto's stomach flip, or maybe that was from the tentacle slipping lazily in and out of him, “I shall be gentle. I would not want our friend to become overwhelmed.” </p>
<p>Prompto's skin was buzzing from lightning and from Ignis's hands. Ignis sucked dick as well as he did everything, which really shouldn't have been a surprise. “Little late for that,” he gasped. </p>
<p>Ignis made a reassuring noise and patted his knee. Even here and now, he was looking out for him. </p>
<p>A couple of tentacles curled around his asscheeks, and Ignis's hand curled around his balls. At the same moment, they squeezed. </p>
<p>Prompto's cry filled the alcove and rang in his ears. </p>
<p>He tried to catch his breath and didn't have a chance, because Ignis was going for broke and the shadow tendrils were working in and out of him with energy that made sparks flash in front of his eyes, and he buried one hand in Ignis's hair and grabbed onto a tentacle with the other, and just as he was trying to pant out a warning Ignis went “Mhm” and the tentacle squeezed back. </p>
<p>It overwhelmed Prompto before he could breathe in, and he yanked the tentacle up to his mouth and came biting down on it and staring into Ignis's eyes. </p>
<p>Warmth washed over his body, top to bottom, and he couldn't say whether it was magic or just how he felt. Ignis sat back and cool air hit his wet cock. The tentacles pulled out, leaving a Prompto whose knees weren't working so well all of a sudden. Ignis caught him and slowed his crumple, and the tendrils grabbed some pillows from by the wall and slipped them under him before he hit the floor. Prompto patted one in thanks, and they dissolved away into black smoke that almost, but didn't quite, hide the way Ardyn was looking at him. </p>
<p>Prompto lay there like a melted thing. He couldn't help a lazy smile, thinking about how his hair would be sticking up in weird directions from the electric hands for ages. </p>
<p>He gave the verdict, “Oh. Oh man.” </p>
<p>Ardyn smiled, more his usual curly smile than the strange heart-turning look a second ago that had probably been Prompto's imagination. “I believe he enjoyed that.” </p>
<p>Ignis managed to make wiping his mouth on the back of his hand look dignified. “Are you all right?” </p>
<p>“Great,” Prompto said dreamily to the ceiling. He kind of wanted Ignis to come closer so he could sling his arm around him, but he didn't know how to ask for that. “Super. Here, hand me my pants and ask the thing.” </p>
<p>Ignis passed his pants over. Prompto dug in the pocket and held up the truth rock over his naked body. </p>
<p>“Oh, do let me do the ceremonial bit,” Ardyn said. “Which brought you the greater pleasure, my artistry, or the Count's mundane though admirable efforts?” </p>
<p>This one was easy. “I can't say. You were both too good.” </p>
<p>Green light poured over him, and stayed green when he added, “Woo, I can't feel my toes.”</p>
<p>“Ah, well,” Ardyn said, as the light faded and Prompto tucked the rock back into his pocket. “You would think all that effort would get someone a single step closer to his goal.” </p>
<p>“Another rematch, then,” said Ignis, amazingly matter-of-fact for a guy on his knees who'd just finished a blowjob. Well, no, something like that wasn't a job. That'd been a blow <i>vocation</i>. </p>
<p>“I fear it is unavoidable. Yet, you must be nearing exhaustion from these constant efforts. It would hardly be sportsmanlike to defeat you in any condition barring your best. Thus, and in reward for your remarkable performance, I shall grant you three days' respite.” </p>
<p>He gestured at Prompto and Ignis in turn as a pool of shadow appeared under his feet. </p>
<p>“Use it well.” </p>
<p>He sank into the darkness and disappeared. It vanished, leaving behind nothing but plain carpet. Prompto was getting used to that. </p>
<p>Rooms were quieter without the wizard in them. There was just the faint sound of the pool in the cave lapping at the rock. Ignis was right there, his face flushed and his lips real red. There was no time for courage but now. If Prompto could handle sex tentacles, he could handle asking. </p>
<p>He got up on his elbows and said, “Can I, hey. Do something? For you.” </p>
<p>It was one of those seconds that felt longer than it was. Prompto was smiling unsteadily, and Ignis's eyes were deep and green and didn't tell him a thing about what was going on in his head. Ignis's lips parted, then closed again. </p>
<p>"I would not ask that of you. A gentleman does not insist on quid pro quo." Ignis slapped his hands down briskly on his bare thighs and stood up. “You can help me with some research. We have a great deal of work to do.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The important thing was to remain focused. They had three days, and Ignis intended to make full use of them. </p>
<p>“Every creature has a weakness,” he said, striding through the shelves of the library. His hearing was slightly dulled, and his walk felt odd without the tail's subtle instinctive balance. “Once we discover his true nature, we can find a way to overcome him.” </p>
<p>“Uh, yeah. Sounds great.” Prompto craned his neck up at the towering shelves. “But this place is giant. Where do we even start?”</p>
<p>“Luckily, the possibilities for what he is are not infinite. He claimed to be from this dimension, and as you said, he does not lie.” He shot Prompto a thin smile. “That narrows it down a bit.” </p>
<p>The walk from the grotto to the library had been long enough to get ahold of himself. Snap had followed them for a while, then had seemed to sense the tense atmosphere and given them some privacy. A task was exactly what Ignis needed. It focused the mind and kept it from wandering afield to thoughts of Prompto twitching in pleasure, or the look of hope on his face dissolving into disappointment. Ignis was prepared to study through the night, if needed, more safely now that there was no possibility of Prompto lingering by him and absently stroking his ears. He needed to be ready to face the sorcerer again. </p>
<p>A little pain now could prevent a great deal later. </p>
<p>“Jeez, look at all these,” Prompto said, steering the silence away from dangerous areas. He ran his finger along a line of leatherbound spines. The shelves loomed in a canyon about them and held tomes in several languages, ones with titles including <i>Arcanum</i> and <i>Maleficarum</i> interspersed with <i>The Wise's Mines</i> and <i>The Northern Continent on Five Hundred Gil a Day</i>.  “How's he even get the time to-- hey, look!” </p>
<p>Ignis follow Prompto's pointing finger down the aisle. “What is it?” </p>
<p>“There!” Prompto took off running. </p>
<p>Though Ignis hadn't caught a glimpse of what he meant, he jogged after him. He found Prompto standing between the shelves, looking perplexed and breathing slightly more quickly. Ignis's memory unhelpfully informed him that now knew what Prompto's stomach looked like up close when he was breathing rapidly.</p>
<p>“I swear it was just here a second ago.” Prompto frowned at a low shelf. “It was some kind of little animal. Kind of like a dog, but not.” </p>
<p>“That stands to reason,” said Ignis, who had things he could resist and things he could not. “These volumes do look slightly foxed.” </p>
<p>“I mean it, there totally was something!” Prompto said. His hair swayed as he scanned the area. “I swear I'm not making it up.” </p>
<p>“I believe you." </p>
<p>“Come on, seriously.”</p>
<p>“I do.” Ignis resettled his glasses on his face. “Any enchanted castle worth its salt should have a few mysterious creatures who disappear without a trace. In any case, here is as good a place to start as any.” </p>
<p>There were children's books, romances, histories, ledgers, essays, all shelved with a disregard for organization that irked Ignis's soul. He read along the titles and fought down the urge to fall into helpless confusion. He'd found a good cookbook here. There had to be more.</p>
<p>“I wish I could help more,” Prompto said, worrying his lower lip with his teeth. </p>
<p>Prompto's shoulders were held close, and his boot scuffed at the carpet. His usual cheerfulness had been at a low ebb since the contest in the grotto, and his rejection. While Ignis's eyes wandered, there were volumes that Prompto's sightline seemed to keep returning to. </p>
<p>“I have an idea,” Ignis said. “Why don't you choose?” </p>
<p>Prompto's head lifted. “Me? But I'm totally clueless here.” </p>
<p>“That could be useful. You don't have any preconceived notions to get in the way, and you have good intuition. In any case, I'll have plenty of time to search for myself while you're off doing chores. You can get me started.” </p>
<p>There was an element of Prompto's smile that affected the heart like being slipped a drug. “Okay! I'll find you some good ones.” </p>
<p>Ignis set himself up at an overstuffed wing chair at a mahogany writing table, taking care not to kick the crocodile who had at some point made its way in and fallen asleep beneath it. He would have preferred a simple stool and a desk, but magic castles had certain furniture standards. He glanced at the blotter with its pot of ink and peacock-feather quill, then tried telling a drawer, “A ballpoint pen and a pad of paper.” Fortunately, it provided. Enchantment was a very useful thing. When Ignis got back to the ordinary world, he feared he'd be talking to cabinets for days. </p>
<p>Prompto trotted over with a stack of books, declaring that he had picked out “the shiny ones,” and was about to strike out for another armload when he paused. </p>
<p>“So,” he said. “Hey. About...” </p>
<p>Ignis looked up from what appeared to him to be ordinary matte volumes. “Yes?” </p>
<p>Prompto opened his mouth, and closed it again. “Never mind.” </p>
<p>The sort of person Prompto needed would have found the right words. He would have been open and warm, thrown an arm around him, and assured him he would always be wanted.</p>
<p>The man Prompto deserved bore no resemblance to Ignis, who lowered his eyes and began to read.</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <b>The Wolfhound and the Wolves</b>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Once there was a little herding village where the sheep were being eaten up by wolves. The villagers did not know what to do. </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>“Let us build a fence,” said the carpenter, but the sheep were still eaten. </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>“Let us kill them,” said the hunter, but the sheep were still eaten. </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>“Let us pray to the gods,” said the votary, but the sheep were still eaten.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>The wolfhound said, “I am suited for this.” </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>The wolfhound snuck into the wolves' den and waited in the shadows. He was so quiet that the wolves didn't know they had ever been without him. He waited until they slept and gobbled them all up. </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>The wolfhound returned to the village with his tail wagging and was shot and skinned. </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>“Why did you do that?” cried an old woman. “He helped us!”</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>“I had no choice,” replied the votary. “He smelled like a wolf.” </i>
</p>
<p><i>Moral: A favor freely given is ill repaid.</i> </p>
<p>Ignis skimmed through the pile book by book, getting the lay of the land before he attempted a more in-depth search.</p>
<p>
  <i>of the region depended on a barter system that extended to the extraction of levies from the populace, which tells us the general makeup and economic situation of the area more reliably than the spotty and politically motivated census data that has survived. The oldest tax ledger on record states revenues as follows (from a 13th century translation):</i>
</p>
<p>Ignis skimmed down a sizeable list.</p>
<p><i>weaver  11 bolts cloth<br/>witch  1 crate herbs and cures<br/>woodcutter  4 cords wood<br/>villeins  various as follows</i> </p>
<p>Rubbing his eyes, Ignis put the book down and reached for another in the stack. Prompto had gathered a fair number before Ardyn had appeared in his pocket mirror to task him with replacing candelabras throughout the castle that had been broken by ”an uncouth fellow with a whip a century or two ago.” Now Ignis's only distraction was the urge to sway a tail he no longer had. </p>
<p>He picked up a slimmer volume. </p>
<p>
  <i>”For what do we exist, my brethren?” thundered the doyen. </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>“To do what humans cannot,” came the rote response from the hundreds, reverberating from the empty chests. I revolved my eyes across the assembly hall. </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>“Where are we to go, my brethren?” </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>“To the blackness between dimensions, where humans cannot! To face the pain, where humans cannot!” </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>“Why do we journey beyond where life can survive?” </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>“To take the payment of those who need us and despise us!”</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>“What is locked?” </i>
</p>
<p><i>“The heart! The heart! In its iron box! The heart, safe from the pain of the hungering space!” </i> </p>
<p>Science fiction? No accounting for a sorcerer's wide-ranging tastes. </p>
<p>Another book had an image on the cover of four young women in old-fashioned dress. Ignis opened it.</p>
<p>
  <i> “Oh, Mammon,” Betsy wept, “How could Eveline be so wicked as to burn up my little book?” </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>“There, there.” Mammon sat on the sofa beside Betsy and patted her hand. “You do quarrel so.” </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>“But she knows how precious that little book is to me!” </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>“Why, does she?” Mammon exclaimed. “Then I know who to blame for your sorrow: her name is Betsy July!”</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>“Why, Mammon,” said Betsy, for a moment forgetting to cry in her confusion, but knowing well that Mammon had survived a long time and was very wise, “how can that be?” </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>“You let her know something was important to you,” said Mammon. She smiled fondly at the foolishness of youth. “Now what was she to do when she was cross but exploit that weakness?” </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Betsy dried her eyes with her sleeve and laughed at what a silly girl she had been. “Of course!” </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Thus she and her sister made up, and instead of drawing in her book, she spent the evenings by the fire stitching a dear sampler with the proverb we shan't ever forget: </i>
</p>
<p><i>Whether knowing they may or fearing they must<br/>Your loved ones will always punish your trust</i> </p>
<p>Ignis was beginning to sense a certain recurring theme. </p>
<p>It was growing late. He stacked the books neatly on the side of the writing desk, patted Snap to wake him, and went to the kitchen, where Prompto had set the broken-off top part of a candelabra on the table as a centerpiece. Ignis rummaged through the cupboards and found more formal flatware to match. </p>
<p>“What are we having?” said the sorcerer a while later, summoned to the doorway by the fragrance.</p>
<p>“Chicken with forty cloves,” Ignis answered as he plated.</p>
<p>Prompto had bounced back quickly, resiliently cheerful as ever. The sorcerer chatted with him, gesturing with an ornate fork, blithe as if the earlier intimate contest had never occurred. </p>
<p>“Exemplary as always,” the sorcerer said, gathering the last of the fragrant sauce from his plate with a piece of bread. “If only I could keep you forever, my good count.” </p>
<p>“If only,” said Ignis, and mentally crossed garlic and silver from the list of possible weaknesses.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The footsteps echoing down the hall were too heavy to be Prompto's. On instinct, Ignis ducked behind a suit of armor in an alcove and held himself still as the walker appeared around the corner. </p>
<p>How unusual for the sorcerer to abandon his space-warping techniques and move like a common man. </p>
<p>He passed, dressed in a robe that must have been enchanted to move silently and smoothly though it appeared knit of tiny bones. In his hand were a few of the purple peonies that had been growing so well in the conservatory. Ignis measured out a discreet interval and followed.</p>
<p>It was a risk, but after another day of poring through books in the library that had given him only tantalizing bits and pieces, the chance of learning some useful was too precious to let pass by. Ignis felt a half-step slow without his ears and tail and the adroitness they had conferred, but luckily the castle was full of ornaments and alcoves. He concealed himself in one whenever the sorcerer would halt and gaze about, whistle to himself, or idly juggle a bit of flame. Ardyn strolled for some time, and Ignis was beginning to think he might be headed nowhere at all when he opened a nondescript door and stepped through. Ignis laid his hand on the knob, counted to ten, and dared to crack the door open.</p>
<p>He was struck by the cool, pine-scented air of a forest. He slipped in, letting the door shut behind him, and his boot sank into a carpet of fallen needles. On this side the door stood in midair, leading nowhere, a trick by now so standard that Ignis refused to be impressed.</p>
<p>The massive trees that stood around him were evergreen and appeared ancient. Sun dappled through the needled boughs, and Ignis realized it would be easy to lose sight of the sorcerer if he did not focus on keeping the head of magenta hair in view. He took note of the direction relative to the door and struck out after him. </p>
<p>Ignis kept his body low and put his concentration into silence. Should he be caught, he suspected the consequences would be much more severe than a few useful feline features. Yet the forest acted as his ally; its shadows welcomed him, the paths to take to avoid the underbrush felt familiar as the shortcut to the markets at home, and even as the terrain grew rockier his feet sensed where to fall to avoid treacherous twigs and pebbles.</p>
<p>It felt like little time before Ardyn reached a small, rounded hill covered in moss and vines that showed a face of white stone. Dressed stone, Ignis realized, with a shadowed entrance and a carved edifice worn by time and the elements. Ignis ventured closer and crouched behind what once might have been the lower half of a pillar on the right side of the courtyard as the sorcerer vanished into the tomb. </p>
<p>Wind rustled the trees above and distant birds called. Ignis's hand sank into the moss that coated the stone. His knees began to ache. </p>
<p>Ardyn emerged from the tomb with empty hands. He did not take the direct route out but veered to his left, looking lost in thought, meandering toward the concealing pillar until Ignis could make out the tiny bones held with wire to the gray cloth draping over his nearer hand. </p>
<p>Ignis held his breath. His head remained clear, and he did not fear panicking. There were advantages to being a cold man. </p>
<p>Ardyn moved on. </p>
<p>The prudent choice was to follow him and escape. Otherwise Ignis risked being left behind, if the door was the sort that vanished when it was no longer needed. </p>
<p>Ignis's role was not center stage. He was support staff, the sort who advised and assisted and handled the details in order that the hero could shine. In Lucis, a kingdom at peace, his life presented no dramatic dangers or risks to quicken his heart. The job suited him, he excelled at it, and at home by his prince's side he would choose nothing else. Home had no wizards to press him to the edge of his wits, or to set him challenges. </p>
<p>With a glance to make sure the sorcerer remained walking away, Ignis darted out of cover and into the tomb. </p>
<p>The cool, shadowed interior was only a few paces across. It smelled of dust and stone. The walls were lined with shelf-like alcoves, empty but for one at the back that was sealed with a stone slab. The cover was marked with characters that looked somewhat like the Old Lucian Ignis had spent so many afternoons guiding Noct in studying. The first letter was something unrecognizable, there was what looked like an “oo” vowel in the middle but with more curves than it should have had, and the last was either an “ah” or “ei” depending on the era-</p>
<p>No time for this. Ignis pulled the piece of paper he'd been keeping notes on and pressed it to the stone. After taking a rapid rubbing he stepped away, careful not to tread on the peonies laid on the stone floor. </p>
<p>It had only taken a moment. Ignis emerged into the shade-dappled light and struck out into the woods back the way they had come. He moved as quickly as he could through the underbrush while remaining quiet, and felt a rush of relief when he caught sight of the wizard's form striding with his distinctive gait through the trees. The door had not been far. Ignis set his efforts to catching up. </p>
<p>He was drawing close enough to see the fallen pine needles sink beneath Ardyn's boots when the sorcerer stopped. Ignis ducked behind a dense thicket just as he turned. </p>
<p>“You sneaky fellow,” the sorcerer said. “I see you there.” </p>
<p>Ignis wished desperately to be made of leaves and thorns. </p>
<p>The sorcerer strode in his direction. </p>
<p>To his right, toward an overgrown pile of mud, branches, and debris. </p>
<p>“There, now.” The wizard ran his hand over the weeds on top of the hillock. “No need to be bashful.”</p>
<p>The pile groaned. </p>
<p>“All right,” the sorcerer coaxed. “What's the matter?”</p>
<p>The hillock shifted and made a croaking sound. </p>
<p>Ardyn placed his hands on his hips. “I shan't believe that for an instant. It's clear to see that your turf is thinning and your foliage is in a frightful state. Now be a good fellow and let me have a look at you.” </p>
<p>With a shudder through the earth that made Ignis grip tightly to the bush he crouched behind, the pile heaved, and rose. </p>
<p>Even hunched and round-backed as it was, the creature was easily twice the sorcerer's height. The shadows beneath its bulk resolved into trunklike arms and moss-covered haunches, with a torso made of matted greenery and draped with trailing vines. At some point, the beast ended and terrain began. Ignis's fingertips tingled in sympathy with the thought of digging into the rich loam. Beneath the ridge of its brow was the suggestion of a face in shadow, like one imagined in the shape of knots on a bough. Its eyes glowed like spots of foxfire beneath a bent-root brow that made them whimsical, as though peering out in mild surprise. The breeze carried a scent of moss and cool earth. </p>
<p>The sorcerer knelt, and examined the place in shadow where its body met the ground. The creature grunted and pulled away, but stilled when Ardyn clicked his tongue.</p>
<p>“Now, now.” His voice was rounded and gentle, as though speaking to a puppy cowering beneath a porch. “It's nothing to cranch about. Root-rot happens to the best of us. This will take but a moment.” </p>
<p>Ardyn set his right hand on the creature's limb, and a magenta glow soaked into the air. The being made an odd gulping noise and held very still. Magical energies must have been slipping into the knots of its roots and lifting away the damage, easing the pain until only beating sap and healthy living wood remained. Like warm water washing away an ache that had faded away from notice until its relief. </p>
<p>The creature let out a shuddering sigh.</p>
<p>“There.” Ardyn stood and patted the creature on its grassy slope. “Isn't that better?” </p>
<p>It nodded meekly, swaying its vines. </p>
<p>“Now, you look after yourself. Get plenty of water and sunlight, and have a good brisk shamble once a day.” </p>
<p>The creature made a sound like a house settling. </p>
<p>“There's a good lad.” </p>
<p>Ardyn turned and walked in the direction of the door back to the castle, the bone-knit hem of his robe sweeping the pine needles on the ground as smoothly and silently as plain cloth. </p>
<p>The creature, dismissed, ambled directly toward Ignis's hiding place. </p>
<p><i>No,</i> Ignis thought at it desperately.  <i>Not this way. Nothing but sand and boring insects here. Better head east, where there is safe thick undergrowth and soft moss.</i> </p>
<p>A bird called. The thing raised its head, heaved its shoulders like an immense dog shaking off rain, and moved away. </p>
<p>When it was only a spot of distant green between the trees, Ignis allowed himself to breathe. The sorcerer was no longer visible, but his tracks were clear. Ignis followed them but did not let the sight of the door make him relax his guard. It was not until he cracked it open, checked that all was clear, and eased back into the candlelit shadows of the castle that he let himself be relieved.</p>
<p>There was much to think over, but he had a pressing mystery to resolve. He fingered the slip of paper in his pocket and headed for the library.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i>Hey Prompto,</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Tell Specs I'm sure not slacking. Gladio's overcompensating and making me read so many books I'm seeing libraries in my dreams. It's kind of a good distraction, though. I wish there was something I could do to help you guys. Look out for each other, and don't get turned into a frog. </i>
</p><p><i>Noctis</i> </p><p>“Poor guy,” Prompto said, going back to his own voice from the Noct impression he'd been reading the letter in. He folded it up and stuck it in his pocket. “I bet Gladio's in serious business mode.” </p><p>“So it seems,” said Ignis, without lifting his eyes up from the old dictionaries that covered the library desk. “That has always been his way of showing worry. Hm, the last is the clearest, an <i>alep</i>. The first is likely a front unrounded vowel, close or near-close depending on the era...” </p><p>“Then I guess we'd better not say anything about you sneaking around being a tree ninja.” That'd half given <i>Prompto</i> a heart attack to hear about, and he'd had Ignis right there telling him about it. </p><p>“Hopefully the risk will turn out to have been worth it. That little horizontal line is either 'sword' or...hm...the line with the bit to the left, an 'oh' or 'oo,' if that is not just a nick with my pencil...all right, that is certainly a <i>nun</i>. And that is...yes, we've some distinct possibilities.” </p><p>Ignis got a little more triumphant-sounding with every letter he figured out, and it was, if Prompto could be honest here inside his own head, really cute. If he'd still had the tail it would be swishing.</p><p>Ignis wrote,</p><p><i>EZONEA<br/>
EZUNEA<br/>
IZONIA<br/>
IZONIE<br/>
IZUNIA<br/>
IZUNIE<br/>
YZONYA<br/>
YZONYE<br/>
YZUNYA<br/>
YZUNYE</i> </p><p>“That's a lot,” Prompto said.</p><p>“Not so much as it seems. A little research should narrow things down.” </p><p>He put Prompto to work looking through a dictionary that looked older than the castle back home, trying to find if any of those were words. </p><p>“Looks like a no, buddy.” Prompto said. “I found the word for 'nostril,' though.”</p><p>Weirdly enough, Ignis didn't looked put out by that. He pushed his glasses up the way he did when he was on a roll. “That confirms my suspicion, then. Whatever this may be, it is a name.” </p><p>“Mhm.” Prompto should have been more interested in that clue. </p><p>But honestly, his body kept reminding him that yesterday Ignis had been on his knees in front of him, and he'd had his hands buried in his hair. If Ignis wanted to pretend it never happened, Prompto couldn't really blame him. It was a whole shiny new kind of awkward.</p><p>Obviously Prompto wasn't good enough for him. That wasn't even Prompto being down on himself; who on the face of the planet was good enough for a guy who'd go toe-to-toe with a sorcerer in the morning, cook you dinner in the evening, and be the most brilliant guy you'd ever met all day long? There was no reason in the world for a guy like that to be interested in Prompto. </p><p>But when he'd gazed up at Prompto in the grotto, he'd looked like he wanted to be there. </p><p>Prompto breathed in a lungful of air that smelled like old books (good, steadying) and a little bit like Ignis (also good, way less helpful). </p><p>“So,” he said. “Hey.” </p><p>Ignis looked up with sharp green eyes behind his glasses and said, “Yes?” </p><p>Prompto was going to either murder the wizard or hug him for making that be the moment when his communication mirror chirped. </p><p>Quickly figuring out an angle that wouldn't show all the secret decoding stuff, Prompto pulled the mirror out and opened it with a good old casual, “What's up?” </p><p>“Oh, hello there,” the little round image of Ardyn said. “I've a job for you. Nip over to the rookery in the east tower, won't you? I've been meaning to have the glass mephits leg-tagged, and this is the best light to catch a glimpse of them.” </p><p>“Got it!” Prompto said. He waved to Ignis as he started jogging away down the lane between the shelves. “Talk to you later, okay?” </p><p>“Yes,” he heard Ignis say from way behind him. “We'll talk.”</p>
<hr/><p>It turned out that what a mephit was was a little shin-high flying goblin thing, and what a <i>glass</i> mephit was was one of those that was mostly see-through. It took a lot of squinting and grabbing, but eventually Prompto got the knack of catching their outlines. By the time he had little red tags on all their legs, they were clear as day. </p><p>“Whew!” Prompto flopped down on the floor next to Snap. The ceiling was enchanted to be clear and let the sun in, so it was warm enough that it felt good to lean on a nice, cool crocodile. “Okay. That's today's easy job done.” </p><p>Snap made a whuffing noise.</p><p>“I mean, it's easy compared to talking to Ignis. Which is the other thing I have to do.” </p><p>He sighed and sank into Snap's side.</p><p>“I know it won't matter, if he loses. But he's not gonna lose, you know? He's Iggy. He'll always figure a way out. So maybe I could wait until we go home.” </p><p>Light glinted off one of the little monsters while it flitted around, and Snap grunted. </p><p>“Yeah, I know,” Prompto said, pretending that was part of the conversation. “I can't keep putting it off until the perfect second, cause there's never gonna be a perfect second. I just gotta bite the bullet and find out what's going on. The worst thing he can say is no, right?”</p><p>Snap butted Prompto's hand with his snout, which was the signal to start petting.</p><p>“Aw, you're just a big scaly cutie. Not a lot of friendly crocodiles back at home. I'm gonna miss you, y'know?  Ardyn, too. Things're always gonna be different, knowing there's really magic like him in the world. Maybe I'll even be able to still do some cool magic stuff if I practice. He's showed me a bunch of tricks, like how to see through walls, and...”</p><p>Prompto thought about vines, tentacles, and the shiver of magical cold on his bare skin, and turned pinkish.</p><p>“...and a lot of stuff. But yeah. It's not the staying here I'd mind. It's the never going back.” </p><p>Snap nosed at him.</p><p>Prompto laughed and hopped to his feet. “Okay, okay. I'll be there again pretty soon. First I gotta go find Iggy and be all romantic.” </p><p>The candlelit castle was cool and dark after the bright tower, and he blinked a few times to get his eyes adjusted before he started trotting down the corridor. Now that'd he'd made the decision to get this done, he was practically giddy. Nervous, but excited, like when he went to ask Noct if he could be in the Crownsguard. He was keyed up enough that it took a minute to realize he didn't actually know where he was going. He pulled to a halt in front of one of the big fancy bronze-framed mirrors that was all over the place, breathed in like Ardyn had taught him, and concentrated. </p><p>“Mirror, mirror, on the wall. Hey, where's Ignis? Down this hall?”</p><p>The reflected candle flame morphed into an arrow pointing left. </p><p>“Thanks!” Prompto said, and took off with Snap clomping over the carpet behind him. </p><p>Asking a couple more times eventually got him a flame pointed right at a familiar-looking door.  Prompto eased it open and walked into the warm air of yesterday's grotto. </p><p>It was night in here, even though it'd been day everywhere else. The cave was lit by magic light-globes on the walls soft enough not to drown out the moonlight that came in from the hole in the roof and sparkled on the surface of the pool. The alcove room full of cushions was still there in the wall, and looking at it made Prompto's skin heat up, but there was nobody there. </p><p>Ignis was outside the mouth of the cave, sitting on a rock and looking out at the ocean. Palm trees along the coast stirred in the breeze. Prompto wondered whether all this was magically inside the castle, or if the door was a portal to somewhere else in the world. His boots went from tapping on stone to sinking in sand as he walked out and sat next to Ignis.</p><p>Prompto nudged him with his shoulder and said, “Hey.” </p><p>Ignis gave him half a smile. “Hey.” </p><p>Waves meandered up to the shore. The sand must've still been warm, going by how happy Snap looked burrowing into it. The sky was full of stars, a giant moth with a black-spotted wing was resting on the side of the cave entrance, and Prompto's brain had gotten him this far and then left him on his own. </p><p>“Find anything good in the library today?” he said, letting his heels thump on the rock. </p><p>“No spectacular secrets,” said Ignis. “But I did discover that what's said to be the oldest joke n the world in fact comes from this area.”</p><p>“Is it the one about the guy who built all the bridges but all anybody ever remembered was the one goat?” </p><p>Ignis's laugh mixed with the sound of the waves and turned Prompto's insides into warm mush. “Older than even that.”</p><p>“So tell me.” It was nice out here, and Ignis's shoulder was brushing against his. Prompto wasn't in any hurry. </p><p>“All right. Once, a villager came into a soothsayer's hut and said, 'Wise man, my fields burned, my herds took ill, my father fell from the roof, and I was robbed by men who beat me with sticks, despite your amulets I carry for protection.' The soothsayer said, 'You are lucky. Imagine how badly things would have gone without them.'”</p><p>“Oh man,” Prompto said, half laughing and half groaning, “That's terrible.” </p><p>“I know. Isn't it wonderful?” </p><p>They watched the waves for a while. The moon made everything silver and black. This close, the air smelled like Ignis. </p><p>“Hey,” Prompto said. “Wanna hear some magic words?” </p><p>“Certainly.” </p><p>And there they were. After all the hiding and putting it off, it turned out it was easy. </p><p>“I like you,” Prompto said. “A lot.” </p><p>Prompto could feel Ignis stiffen up beside him. Not a great sign, but it was too late to do anything but plunge ahead. Like Gladio said, if you're gonna swing, commit. Prompto looked out at the moon shining a lit-up path onto the ocean and swung.</p><p>“I've had a crush on you basically forever. Pretty much since the minute I found out Noct's super hot, scary competent right hand man was also the guy who watered the little plants on the windowsill, and who kept guys from the court off Noct's back on bad days, and,” -he smiled faintly at the memory - “who made a cake for some nobody kid Noct brought home, just cause it was his birthday. You're an incredible guy, and I want to be around you, and make you laugh at dumb jokes, and have a bunch of sex even when it isn't a wizard's fault.” </p><p>Ignis's little laugh gave Prompto a surge of courage. </p><p>“So, yeah. Gotta admit, I don't have much of a read on you here. Kind of getting mixed signals. So I figure the only way to know how you feel is to ask.” </p><p>For a second Prompto watched the content crocodile lying in the sand. Then he smacked his hands on his thighs. </p><p>“Here, I'll teach you a spell. What you do is you say the magic words, 'Prompto, I'm not interested,' and kabam! I drop it, and we're back to normal. No awkwardness, no hard feelings.” </p><p>Prompto held his breath, and waited. His heart was going like crazy, and his ears were straining for the first word Ignis was going to say. </p><p>He didn't look happy. </p><p>Prompto's stomach sank. He got ready to hear what kind of no it was going to be. </p><p>Eyes down, Ignis said, “You don't want this.” </p><p>What came out of Prompto's mouth on reflex was, “I don't?” </p><p>The moonlight made Ignis's hair pale, and made his glasses turn blank and white from this angle. He took in a long breath and let it out in a sigh that made his shoulders sink. The waves swished under his voice. </p><p>“I know you are an honest man. You believe you want me, now. But the blush would fade very quickly from the rose. I am afraid you need more than I can offer you. You would starve for want of affection, and work yourself into exhaustion trying to compensate for what I lack. You would be locked to unhappiness, and you deserve far better than that.” </p><p>Prompto's eyebrows knit together, and the space in him that was ready for rejection filled with confusion instead. </p><p>“I asked you how you feel,” he said slowly. He wanted Ignis to look at him. “Why are you telling me how <i>I</i> feel?”</p><p>Ignis flinched like he'd had a light shone in his face. “Because I am not the man you think. You judge other people as being like yourself, and in my case, that is far too generous.” </p><p>A weird feeling was making its way up the back of Prompto's neck. “What are you talking about?” </p><p>“Prompto.”  He choked it out like a confession. “I am a cold man.” </p><p>“What?” When Prompto tried to take that in it bounced off his skull like a rubber ball. “Did you, like, drink a potion that made it opposite day? You're the warmest guy I know.” </p><p>It looked like Ignis was finding the big moth fanning its wings by the grotto entrance a lot easier to look at than Prompto. “Then I have you fooled.” </p><p>“Uh-uh. No way.” Change of plans. Prompto had come here prepared to do something hard, and finding reasons Ignis was amazing was easy. “Sure, you kinda have Resting Don't Screw With Me Face, and you don't say it in words, but you care about people more than anybody I've ever met. You <i>do</i> stuff all the time. Have you not seen you with Noct? Like how you took care of him when he got sick?” </p><p>Ignis only winced more. “And left him constantly to attend to petty concerns.” </p><p>“Yeah, like keeping the kingdom going! You dealt with all that stuff so his dad could stay with him!” Ignis had always been in motion in those days, always mediating between two people or giving instructions or wrangling a new doctor, his face hard with worry. He'd been the one everyone had gone to, when the king was hardly moving from Noct's side. </p><p>Ignis was hunched in on himself. The moonlight made him and the rock he sat on all the same color. “Doing my job is no benevolence.”</p><p>How could he not get it? Prompto's chest was tight with how much he wanted to show Ignis a real picture of himself, just for one second, so he'd understand. </p><p>“You charged out to find a wizard you thought didn't exist, just to help me. You've been fighting for me this whole time. That's not part of your job.” </p><p>Ignis stared at the ground. The waves washed in, and the breeze made the palm trees rustle. </p><p>He said, almost too quiet to hear, “It was never for your sake. There was only one reason I came to retrieve you.” </p><p>Guilt was written all over his face. </p><p>He said, “You make Noct happy.” </p><p>Prompto drummed his heels on the rock. The moon and stars were bright above them, like there was no other light in the world to get in the way. </p><p>“Then I guess you really don't know me,” he said. His hand snuck over to take Ignis's, and his thumb rubbed over his palm and felt the texture of the glove. “If you think loving Noct too much is something I'm gonna get mad at you for.” </p><p>Ignis's hand lay open, very still, like he was trying not to scare an animal away. “You know that he will always come first. I will never be able to give you my heart completely.” </p><p>“So? Nobody has one person who's important to them and everybody else who's just whatever.” Prompto  bumped his shoulder into Ignis and got a reward of a twitch of his mouth for a second. “Besides, dude, I love him too. There's a lot of different kinds of loving somebody. But if it's the boyfriend kind, that's okay. Tell me no cause you're into Noct, or Gladio, or somebody I've never met, or cause you wanna focus on being the world's greatest chef, or cause you found a magic mirror that told you blonds are bad luck, or for no reason except you don't feel like it. But don't tell me no because you think there's something wrong with you. Cause there isn't.” </p><p>Ignis was looking at him like he was trying to believe him but not sure how to, and that knocked cracks into Prompto's heart. How long had he been carrying this alone? “You make things sound so simple.” </p><p>“They're not always that complicated. That's what you get for being too smart.” </p><p>Ignis's fingers curled around his hand a little. “And if I make you miserable?” </p><p>Hope jumped up in Prompto's chest. “You won't. But if you do? We break up, and it sucks for a while, but we survive. Then we're friends who tried a thing that didn't work.” He smiled faintly. “Man, if I didn't do something because it might turn out bad a hundred steps in the future, I'd never do anything. Sometimes you just gotta take a leap of faith, you know?” </p><p>Ignis was staring at him in a way that made warmth gather all over Prompto's skin, like fireflies. “Are you aware that you are wonderful?” </p><p>“Heh. Nah. Anybody'd tell you the same thing.” Okay. Leap time. His heart thudded. “So. Wanna give it a shot?” </p><p>Ignis's hand curled around his, and he said it like half confession and half relief. “Yes.” </p><p>He wrapped his arm around Prompto and pulled him into a kiss that made his heart soar and his blood fizz like champagne. Prompto hopped right into his lap, and being in his arms felt like being the king of the safest place in the world. </p><p>“Yes,” Ignis kept saying, in between kisses and breaths. “Yes. Yes.” </p><p>Prompto pressed against him hard enough to bend him back, and it was real romantic until they lost balance and slid off the rock. They hit the sand laughing, and Prompto was too full of joy to stay there.</p><p>He hopped up and punched the air. “Woo! Check it out, universe! I hit the boyfriend jackpot!” </p><p>Ignis levered himself up on his elbows and fixed his glasses, and his smile made Prompto feel like the world's number one stud. He'd made Ignis Scientia happy. “And you're bound to get lucky.” </p><p>“Oh yeah, we gotta bang.” Prompto had shot from a ball of nerves straight to a pile of giddiness. He was delirious, with a head rush like he'd just done three shots of straight joy. “And cuddle on the beach like doofs. And then go beat a wizard.”</p><p>“We'll hatch a scheme and go home triumphant.” Ignis got up and came over and twirled Prompto around like a ballroom dancer. “Tomorrow we find his weakness, and win.”</p><p>The world swirled as Ignis dipped him, and his view wooshed past the moon and stars and landed upside-down on the cave entrance where the moth was flapping its wings and growing larger and larger. </p><p>“Uh,” Prompto had time to say. </p><p>“My, my,” said the sorcerer's voice from all around them. “Plotting against me?” </p><p>The moth was a spreading puddle of darkness, like ink spilled into a glass of water. Then the shape gained firm edges and color. The wings melted and reformed into a purple robe with blackness for the left sleeve, and the rest became Ardyn. </p><p>Prompto's stomach plummeted. He jerked upright, and Ignis shoved him behind himself as the wizard strode toward them. He was just about to jump forward and try to do <i>something</i>, and Ignis was grabbing for his knife, when Ardyn snapped his fingers and a pair of giant glowing pink hands snatched them up, one in each fist. Prompto kicked in midair and tried to pummel and scratch at the huge finger locked around his waist, but it was like scrabbling at stone. </p><p>The sorcerer said, mock-mournful, “And after I have been such a gracious host.” </p><p>“Let us go!” Prompto pounded on the glowing hand as hard as he could and didn't get anything for it but bruises and an extra spike of fear. “We didn't do anything wrong!”</p><p>“I disagree,” Ardyn said. </p><p>The words nearly vanished under a reptilian snarl. Snap came charging across the beach straight toward him, jaws open and teeth shining, tossing up sprays of sand from his claws. Shock passed over the wizard's face for an instant, but faded fast into a smirk. When the crocodile was within ten feet, all he did was wave his hand. Chains shot out of the sand and lashed Snap to the ground, where he thrashed and his tail beat helplessly back and forth. </p><p>“Leave him be,” Ignis shouted. Ardyn didn't even look like he heard. </p><p>“I come out to take the evening air and I find my guests most churlishly conspiring to cheat at our contests and, what's more, do me harm.” On his way toward them he stepped right on the crocodile's back, and Snap bellowed. “Oh, my poor aching heart.” </p><p>“You've been cheating this whole time!” said Prompto. “You think we didn't notice how you always tie?” </p><p>“You really have not the least notion how outmatched you are, do you? From the very first day, your adorable little team has never had a chance. False hope is such a lovely seed to see in bloom. But you've got the wrong idea.” Ardyn kept walking toward them, and made his voice into a stage whisper. “I've been tilting the scales...in your favor.”</p><p>Though they were being held steadily a few feet in the air, Prompto felt like he was falling.</p><p>“And here you are, hunting for my weakness.” Ardyn made an exaggerated gesture with his dark-sleeved arm.  “As though I would have such an absurd thing.”</p><p>“It's me you have a quarrel with.” Even when he could barely move, Ignis looked fierce and full of courage. “Release Prompto.” </p><p>“How chivalrous! Yet I'm afraid you don't get to shield him this time. Justice is defined by the powerful, and I have so very much power.” His voice went vicious. “I've been kind, but now that I see how my generosity is repaid, it's time to teach you your place.” </p><p>He waved his hands and two holes in space opened, blacker than the sky and starless. One was by Prompto, and one by Ignis. Panic grabbed Prompto's throat as the giant hands holding them started to move.</p><p>“Ardyn!” Prompto called out. “Stop it! You're not like this.”</p><p>The hands went still. Ardyn looked up at them and cocked his head, like a bird squinting up at the sun.</p><p>“Aren't I?” The dark, low laugh didn't sound at all like the man who'd shown Prompto how to make different colors appear in the fire, or who left out bowls of milk by his camera, or who'd saved Noct's life. “How sweet that you believe you know me. Let me show you what you haven't seen.”</p><p>A cloud passed over the moon, and Ardyn was covered in shadow. When the light returned Prompto's breath caught and Ignis hissed through his teeth. </p><p>Ardyn's eyes glowed yellow in the middle of pitch black. Oily black spatters ran from the corners of his mouth and eyes, so surreally like he'd sobbed through bad mascara that Prompto had to bite back a hysterical laugh that would have turned into a scream. The moonlight hit Ardyn from the right side and left one hand in shadow, which Prompto was desperately grateful for, because the hand he could see was corpse-pale, marked with rot and tipped with long, black claws. Even the clean salt scent of the wind couldn't stop Prompto's stomach from roiling. </p><p>“Not quite what you envisioned, hm?” Ardyn gave Prompto a sickly smile before turning his monster's eyes on Ignis. “It will grow on you. And now.” </p><p>The portal in the air by Prompto was a hole into darkness. He twisted against the hand's grip, but the strength panic gave him didn't do any good. </p><p>Ardyn said, “We play a game by <i>my</i> rules.” </p><p>Prompto had an instant to hear Ignis shout his name before the darkness swallowed him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lightless silence. </p><p>A smooth stone floor was beneath Ignis's hands, and the taste of Prompto's kiss lingered on his lips. Prompto had poured out generosity and hope onto him, and they'd barely gotten the chance to begin. </p><p>“Prompto?” Ignis called, pushing himself into a sitting position. There was no response; only the sense of his voice becoming lost in a vast space. </p><p>Slowly, as though his eyes were adjusting, a sourceless light began to make the place clear. The glowing hand that had captured him was nowhere to be seen. Nor were Prompto, Ardyn, or poor, faithful Snap. He was alone in a cavernous, round, vault-roofed hall that appeared to be made of gray marble. There were no windows, but an embarrassment of riches when it came to doors. </p><p>Easily a hundred of them ringed the room. They were all of the same shape and size, double doors wide enough for three people abreast, but in substance, there were no two alike. There was one made of iron, one of stone, of jewels, of solid smoke. Glittering scales, pure white cloud, rustling leaves, flames, swathes of bandage, parchment, insect wings. The only aspect in common was that each had a keyhole. The exception was a full-length mirror. The rest of the room was empty but for a plinth in the center, on which rested a red velvet pillow that bore a glass key. </p><p>The mirror reminded Ignis that he had one method of communication. He pulled the chocobo-marked mirror from his pocket and, unfolding it, felt his heart sink at the sight of black smoke staring back at him instead of a reflection. He could not but try.</p><p>“Prompto?” he called. And: “Ardyn?” </p><p>The mirror gave no response. </p><p>They had been so close. Prompto had spoken of a man entirely different from the one Ignis felt himself to be, and it had made Ignis believe he could, in some world, become good enough for him.  And before Ignis could so much as begin to tell Prompto how wondrous he was, the sorcerer had stolen the moment away. </p><p>Ignis would later be grateful that at this moment he had been too full of indignation to feel the full brunt of fear. </p><p>When he put the small mirror in his pocket, he found that the large one on the wall was no longer empty.  The sorcerer stood in nightmarish profile, bone white face carved with a blackstained grin. </p><p>“Where is Prompto?” Ignis cried. “What have you done with him?” </p><p>“Now, now, I am a fair man,” the monstrous thing said, voice as rich and playful as ever. “He is facing precisely the same test as you are. I advise you listen closely. I will tell you the rules only once.” </p><p>Ignis seethed. “You intend to toy with us further.” </p><p>“Oh, not at all. This is an earnest lesson in humility, as you will learn how utterly outmatched you are. You see, I know you better than you know yourselves. To escape this room, all you must do is discover what I knew at the very first glimpse of you.” </p><p>The purple cloth of Ardyn's sleeve billowed as he swept his arm to take in the room, claws slashing so near to the mirror's surface that Ignis braced himself for a shriek of glass that did not come. At some point, his brain noted inanely, the wizard had taken off his glove. </p><p>“Each of these doors corresponds to an innate magical specialty. Use that key there on the one that embodies the talent rooted in the very substance of who you are, and it will open to your freedom. However, the key is a frightfully fragile thing. Choose incorrectly three times, and it will surely shatter. Then you will be left here alone until you acknowledge my superiority and pledge to remain in my service for the rest of your days. Of course, in that case I will have to construct a portal to extract you, and you must make it worth the effort. I shall let you appreciate your helplessness in captivity for a few days or weeks or so, until your begging to serve me meets my standards. I will be grading on abjectness.” </p><p>Ignis's head whipped around the room, door after door dizzying him. Escape was paramount before he could help Prompto, who would be alone and afraid. </p><p>“But there is a way to circumvent all that unpleasantness.” The sorcerer's voice teemed with false compassion, a smile crinkling the edges of his black and yellow eyes. “You need only kneel and swear fealty to me. I will hand you the answer to your riddle, and you emerge as my loyal servant until the end of your days. And that will be some time. My home is woven with powerful magics that let anyone within its walls elude anything so crass as aging. So a good few thousand years, I would say. Of course, now that I've caught you conspiring, I can't let you and dear Prompto consort with one another freely. In my mercy, I'll allow you a moment together ever decade or so, if you are very good boys. So what do you say? Ready to bend the knee?”</p><p>Ignis gritted his teeth. The doors were a blur of color in his peripheral vision. “Never. My allegiance belongs to my prince.”</p><p>“What a pity.” A drip of oil ran slowly down from the corner of the sorcerer's mouth. “Then all you must do is divine your own nature, and I have given you so many hints. Do let me know if you change your mind. Good luck.” </p><p>He stepped past the mirror's frame and vanished. Ignis was alone in the hall of doors.</p>
<hr/><p>“We weren't plotting anything!” Prompto shouted to the left of the mirror, since looking straight at Ardyn made his stomach roil. “We were just making out!” </p><p>“Claim what you like,” the wizard said, waving his claw-tipped hand. Prompto had kissed him and he'd felt like a person. “The rules are set.” </p><p>When Prompto turned and looked straight at the mirror, it was empty. Just showed himself, looking scared and alone. </p><p>He crumpled down by the plinth, and his head fell into the cloth-dark place between his knees.</p>
<hr/><p>There was no point in rage or recrimination. Ignis was trapped in a riddle-box with the taste of Prompto's kiss on his lips, and there was a job to be done. If he was to help Prompto, first he had to put him from his mind and escape.</p><p>The puzzle was not unsolvable. Whatever creature the sorcerer was, he had always kept his word.  Ignis faced one door after another, glass key heavy in his hand, and thought of who he was. </p><p>He paced past a door of gemstones, one of leather, one of mist. A magic native to him. A part of who he was. Cooking, of course, was the place his mind went when he denied it its first thought. Surely nothing as absurd as ensorcelling eggplant and enchanting fish fillets, but perhaps something related to the fundamental principle. </p><p>The more Ignis thought on it, the more he was able to convince himself. What was more suited to him than his name? </p><p>The door of flame radiated warmth that did not burn. The keyhole was a perfectly shaped cutout of darkness in the wavering orange and yellow. Firelight dancing on his hand, Ignis set the glass key inside and turned it.</p><p>The key made a sound precisely like his glasses once had, when they were dropped on stone.</p><p>The flames flickered and vanished. Ignis was left grasping the cracked key and staring at the blank wall.</p><p>“A fair guess, but no,” the sorcerer's voice lilted. “Pyromancy is not your nature. Ready to give up?”</p>
<hr/><p>Why'd it have to be when things were going so well? Couldn't Ardyn have waited one more day? Or ten minutes? Prompto had barely gotten a chance to tell Ignis how amazing he was. He'd just gotten started, and now he'd never see him again. He had to solve an impossible riddle or they'd both be stuck here forever in this castle doing chores for whatever monster-thing Ardyn really was. And Prompto was terrible at riddles. The only things he'd ever been good at were shooting guns, taking photos, and finding the pictures in those squiggly images you had to cross your eyes at until the hidden thing jumped out.</p><p>“You might as well spare us both a bit of trouble and forfeit,” Ardyn said. Even in the huge space, his voice didn't echo. “I have so much for you to do now that your little friend won't be a distraction.”</p><p>Prompto's throat seized. Against his better judgment, he opened his eyes. “Did Ignis give up?” </p><p>He ignored his queasiness and kept looking at Ardyn's corpse-white face, and caught the black-stained corner of his mouth turning down for an instant. </p><p>Ardyn smiled hideously. “He's already failed once.” </p><p>Prompto hopped to his feet, heart pounding. “Then it's possible.” </p><p>“Are you familiar with the meaning of 'failure,' boy?” </p><p>“It means he tried.” Doors whipped past Prompto's eyes. The sorcerer in the mirror was the only moving object. “He wouldn't've if it was impossible. Iggy can do anything he tries, so there must be a way to do it.” </p><p>“Remind me to teach you a bit of classical logic, when you are mine.” </p><p>“I'm not gonna be.” Prompto grabbed the key off the plinth, the velvet pillow brushing his fingers. Three tries. “Cause I have to be there on the other side when Ignis wins.”</p>
<hr/><p>So he would not be permitted to lie to himself. </p><p>Ignis had always understood.</p><p>Prompto believed otherwise, with the warmth and generosity of a soul Ignis could never touch. He could never nurture that spark, only numb it with his chill. He served Noct as the reins to hold him back, a point of frigid objectivity. A king would need that. No one could love it. </p><p>For a moment in the grotto he had believed the beautiful illusion Prompto had created for them, but Ignis now stood alone in clarity. He knew very well what he was. </p><p>There was a reason Ardyn had chosen that moment to interfere. Whatever creature he might be, he was, in his way, protecting his apprentice. </p><p>With a soft, final clinking sound, Ignis set his key in the door of ice.</p>
<hr/><p>Ardyn was gone again, so Prompto was just going to do this like nobody was watching. He was dizzy with nerves and crazy optimism. He didn't know the right way to do this, so he'd just try doing it wrong.</p><p>He faced a door that looked like the rainbow-colored inside of a seashell, pointed, and started the chant as he counted his way around the circle:</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>Yeh yoo yee oh bow men oh<br/>
Search the down from high to low<br/>
Catch the devil, let him go<br/>
Mrs. Oonia said that's what I owe<br/>
Yeh yoo yee oh bow men oh</p>
</div>That just brought him back to the mirror, but weirdly enough, he felt better for trying something. Even though, jeez, just looking at it made him feel queasy, thinking of what Ardyn looked like. Had he really been hiding that the whole time?<p>Prompto and Ignis would find out, once they got out of here. </p><p>“Okay,” Prompto said to himself. He shook his hands out and jumped from foot to foot. Sure, he was scared, but he wasn't really alone. “You've been doing this stuff for me all this time, Iggy. My turn.” </p><p>It was like all the other things Ardyn had had him do (except with superhigh stakes now, said the unhelpful half of his brain.) He just had to figure out how to look.</p>
<hr/><p>Countless fractured images of Ignis looked back at him from facets of ice. The key trembled, turned. </p><p>Stopped. </p><p>The door shattered. </p><p>The crash of the broken door collapsing to the ground clashed with the sorcerer's raucous laughter. </p><p>“A <i>glaciomancer</i>? You? And you're usually so clever!” </p><p>Ignis reeled back out of ankle-deep chunks of ice. The key in his hand bore two intersecting cracks. </p><p>“That is...” he managed. “That is not...?” </p><p>“Not even close,” came the smug voice from the mirror. “It seems whatever you were so certain about was wrong. Best think again.”</p>
<hr/><p>Prompto's deep breath was the only thing that moved the air in here. This giant hall would be a nice enough place to visit, but not someplace he wanted to stay. </p><p>He'd done a little magic. It probably helped to do all the studying giant tomes and stuff, but it had to do with your gut, too. He could try standing in front of every one of these doors and staring at it until something happened. </p><p>Well, Ardyn hadn't said anything about a time limit, and whatever else he did, he stuck to his rules.</p><p>Ignis would think his way out of it. Prompto could feel.</p><p>Prompto stepped up to a door that looked made out of lightning. He squinted in the glow, watching the cords of it pulse, and then put some effort into making his eyes relax. It turned into a sparkling gold blur in front of him. Breathe. Feel it. </p><p>Nah, he decided. He wasn't a lightning...guy. </p><p>Prompto stepped one door to the right. It wasn't as obvious what this one meant; it was made out of a ton of white feathers all together in a sheet. Bird control or something? Maybe turning into one? Prompto reached out and touched it, running his finger along the vane of one huge feather, standing close enough to make the down flutter when he breathed. </p><p>The feathers swam in his vision, and he didn't know if it was something the way they were angled seemed to spell out, or just an idea that came into his head, but something told him <i>flight</i>. </p><p>He tried to picture himself soaring above the earth, looking down. Sounded cool, but didn't really ring a bell. </p><p>Okay, next. This one was a kind of patchwork. There was a diamond of gauzy blue material, one of reddish horn, an aqua-colored scale, ruddy brown stone. Prompto took a deep breath and let his eyes cross and his head go empty. He felt like he could see them all move, all on their own. Something huge, something inhuman...persuasion, control...something from elsewhere...something...something...</p><p><i>Summoner.</i> </p><p>Prompto stumbled away. Okay, definitely not something he could do. But that couldn't just be Prompto's imagination; that was the thing Ardyn had said Lady Lunafreya could be, when they were in his study looking through the image in the air, talking about the people at home. </p><p>Back when they were friends. </p><p>Ardyn had taught him some good tricks back then. Prompto wished he could try scrying for a clue, but he didn't have any special bowl or black candles. He didn't even have any water. </p><p>He looked around the room and his eyes fell on the mirror again.</p>
<hr/><p>Ignis's heart stuttered in his chest as he picked up a shard of ice and watched it melt in his hand. If his heart was mistaken, then what was left to him was to use his head. </p><p>“If not that,” he said softly to the blank place on the wall, “what am I?” </p><p>The sorcerer made no reply, but he had said enough already. </p><p><i>I've been tilting the scales in your favor.</i> </p><p><i>I have given you so many hints.</i> </p><p>Ignis closed his eyes, focused, and catalogued their contests. </p><p>The run through the jungle room. Scorpion, crocodile, invisible bridge. Prompto presented to him wrapped in vines. Transformation. Wrestling in enchanted oil. Kisses in the conservatory, surrounded by the scent of roses, Ardyn's idea. A footrace in chocobo form (Ignis's idea, Ardyn's elaboration), ending in a feline curse. Spearfishing in the river room, kept to a tie with Snap's assistance. Tightrope walking blind on vines. The sorcerer's strangest challenge, to pluck holly leaves with a golden sickle under the light of a full moon. Sorting magic spheres, a simple task once one realized they worked under the same principle as dividing fresh and rotten oranges. Giving Prompto pleasure. </p><p>Fingers tapping against his side, Ignis sought a common thread. He wished now to have that feline curse on him again, only for the heightening of any senses that might help. </p><p>The commonality grew in the edge of his vision, sending out questing tendrils. </p><p>It couldn't be. He was nothing like- </p><p>No. Ignis ignored his instincts and sought data. </p><p>When had he been most capable, as though he were assisted by a skill outside of his body? When had he felt as though he had an advantage? </p><p>When had he felt most whole? </p><p>Feelings. Malleable, fallible things that did not count as evidence. Ignis had made it through the jungle room simply by knowing a few animal facts. He had been able to instinctively control the vines because the sorcerer had crafted the magic to be accessible to a layman. He had felt secure and confident facing the sorcerer in the conservatory because he had been riding the wave of giddiness from kissing Prompto. The shambling creature in the forest room had turned away because it heard a bird's call. </p><p>The springy turf beneath his feet, guiding him. The water and the leaves. </p><p>Of course the kitchen gardens at home were prosperous. The coldest man in the world could not kill mint. </p><p>“It was only,” Ignis said, pulling in breath that smelled of rosemary, “that I had read books.” </p><p>“Ready to give in, my poor, clever boy?” the sorcerer's voice taunted, but Ignis was already turning away.</p>
<hr/><p>Prompto stepped toward the reflection of the white-floored room and tried to clear his head. He let his eyes unfocus, and the mirror multiplied and spread out copies in front of him. </p><p>“Mirror, mirror, full of jerk...” </p><p>Ugh, even thinking about Ardyn in the mirror made him queasy. He looked away at a door made out of swords and felt better. </p><p>“Huh,” Prompto said. He turned back to the mirror, slow enough that he could catch the second when his stomach dropped. </p><p>He stepped closer and said, “That's weird.”</p>
<hr/><p>“There's no call to fret yourself struggling. It's what you've always wanted, isn't it? To belong to someone greater than yourself? I am a far more fitting master than your paltry prince. You've fit so naturally into your place in my kitchens, proving with every dish that you cannot help your instinct to serve.” </p><p>“That is not subservience.” The smooth handle of the key had grown warm against Ignis's palm. His footsteps echoed from the stone floor. He had poulticed Noct's knee when he fell, when they were children, and watched him grow into a fine young man. “It is caring for someone.” </p><p><i>You're the warmest guy I know.</i> </p><p>The door was not far. </p><p>“Really?” The sorcerer's voice said. “There? What an interesting place to spend your last chance.” </p><p>He would feel Prompto's sunlight and bloom beneath it once again.</p>
<hr/><p>“What, precisely, do you think you're doing?” </p><p>The wizard wasn't in the mirror anymore. There was just Prompto's own face as he scanned it from top to bottom. All shiny, all a perfect image of the hall of doors.</p><p>A square at about the middle and off to one side was exactly the same as the rest, and wrong. The more he looked at it, the dizzier he felt. </p><p>“Step away from there.” The cold voice came from behind him. </p><p>Prompto moved closer and shifted the key to his left hand to he could reach out to the wrong patch with his right. His fingertips felt smooth glass, but that wasn't what it was.</p><p>The mirror showed him alone. He only knew what was behind him from the breath on the back of his neck. </p><p>Soft as the ground in a swamp, the wizard said, “Turn back before I become angry.”</p><p>“Be what you are,” Prompto said, eyes ahead and unblinking, “and come home.”  </p><p>Lines of light fizzled at the edges of the patch of wrong glass. Color and texture traveled inwards into the center, until it was a square of black and white patterned cloth that fluttered and fell loose into Prompto's waiting hand. Prompto's stomach settled down as he looked at the uncovered surface of the real mirror, flat and unbroken except for the keyhole cut clean through. </p><p>“You cannot,” the wizard hissed. “You are mine!” </p><p>“See you on the other side, Ignis,” Prompto said, and put the key into the lock.</p>
<hr/><p>“There will be no going back.” The sorcerer's voice reverberated from the depths of the earth. “How dare you defy me?” </p><p>Before Ignis's eyes was nothing but green.</p><p>“Prompto,” he said, setting the cracked, fragile key into place in the door of leaves. “Noct. Gladio. Whatever may happen, I will find my way to you.” </p><p>“No!” the sorcerer shrieked behind him. “This cannot be!” </p><p>Smoothly, to the least pressure, the key turned.</p>
<hr/><p>A line of light split the mirror in two. It widened into a portal. Light poured out, and Prompto stepped in. </p><p>It was so quiet, like he was hanging in the sky. He felt weightless, and didn't have to turn around to know the door wasn't behind him anymore. The walls were made of light so thick it should have been blinding. </p><p>He walked past holes in the air that showed volcanoes, crowds of people dancing in masks, a hut with bundles of dried herbs hanging from the rafters, fish swimming through the skeletons of sunken ships, the stars. It all made so much sense, if you looked right. </p><p>Flecks of stained glass fluttered through the air, and settled into the shape of words that floated in front of him and called him on. </p><p>
  <b>WEAVER OF LIGHT</b>
</p><p>
  <b>BREAKER OF ILLUSIONS </b>
</p><p><b>VISIONARY</b> </p><p>At the end of the path, a crystal floated above a stone altar. Prompto could feel it humming in the quiet. </p><p>Above it, the flying glass gathered into the word </p><p><b>SEER</b> </p><p>Prompto held out his hand. </p><p>“Okay, magic rock,” he said, heart going crazy. “Do your thing.” </p><p>He touched it, and everything went white.</p>
<hr/><p>The air smelled of rich soil and the sorcerer's voice was gone. Ignis was alone, with his boots on a springy path of braided roots. Though there was no source of light, he could see. </p><p>He stepped forward past midair blooms of peonies, sage, syleblossoms, wheat, (to his smile) gladiolus. He read the logic in a fern's fractal. </p><p>Honeybees flew in a formation that created words. </p><p>
  <b>GUIDE OF GROWTH</b>
</p><p>
  <b>NURTURER</b>
</p><p><b>PROTECTOR</b> </p><p>The path ended in an altar bearing a moss-green crystal. There was a pulse to it, steady as the flow of sap in a living thing. </p><p>Above it, fireflies swarmed in formation.</p><p><b>DRUID</b> </p><p>Ignis reached to the crystal. </p><p>“Whatever you and I may be,” he said, “grant me your strength.” </p><p>He would remember always the sensation of the crystal at his fingertips, in the moment before he knew no more.</p>
<hr/><p>Ignis woke on the floor of the sorcerer's castle's great hall, recognizing reality by the cold and slight grittiness of the stone. </p><p>Prompto lay a pace away. In a moment he sat up, blinking, and ran his hands through his hair. </p><p>The next instant he was laughing in Ignis's arms.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This section has a lot of inspiration from the Temple of a Thousand Doors in the Neverending Story, a part I always loved.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Chapter 16</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The first thing they did was not, in fact, have sex. The first thing they did was make sure Snap was all right. They found him huddled beneath the thronelike chair in the main hall. He was clearly disturbed, but much improved by a hug from Prompto and a whole raw chicken out of the kitchen pantry from Ignis. </p><p>The second thing they did was have sex. </p><p>They fell into bed in Prompto's tower room, in the patch of sun that fell through the window. Prompto rose on his knees to pull off his shirt, and Ignis ran his hands up his ribs. He felt as though he glowed with the crystal's light, and could feel the same in Prompto through the warmth that met his hands.</p><p>“Next time,” Ignis promised, “there will be the proper wine and roses. I will do it right.” </p><p>“Magic roses, too?” Prompto slung his arm around Ignis's shoulder and rested his forehead against his. “But hey. You don't have to do stuff right, you know? I just like you.” </p><p>Ignis kissed him and felt Prompto's arm wrap around his neck like a vine.</p><p>When they broke, Prompto remained close, looking at him with wide blue eyes. His tongue darted over his lips as if confirming the kiss had been there.</p><p>Prompto said, “The plant magic thing is really cool, though.” </p><p>His body shone in the light through the window, while Ignis counted his freckles with kisses and dipped his tongue into his navel to make him gasp.</p><p>The magical chest provided everything they required. Ignis tested it on his inner arm first, then Prompto shoved him onto his back with enthusiasm that made the bed creak. He had a wonderful way of holding on and biting his lip as Ignis prepared him. </p><p>Prompto took the vial, poured oil on his hands, and rubbed them so vigorously that droplets of oil splashed across Ignis's chest and made him laugh until the hands around his cock made him suck in air through his teeth. </p><p>“I <i>knew</i> you'd have a nice dick,” Prompto said. “Totally checked out your underwear when we were handling the cat-curse thing.” </p><p>“Do you have any idea how difficult it was not to kiss you, then?” Standing there with his feet sunk into the carpet of the grotto, the feeling of Prompto's hands lingering on his skin, the sight of his focused eyes magnified by the borrowed glasses. </p><p>“I would've been down with that,” Prompto said, as his doubled hands worked up and down Ignis's cock. “Wizard watching and everything. I wanted you to.” </p><p>“So did I.” Ignis reached up and placed his hand against Prompto's face, in awe of the luxury of speaking his heart. “I was so afraid I would not be enough for you.” </p><p>“Hey. Don't worry.” Prompto looked him soulfully in the eye, then gave him a flagrant wink. “This dick is gonna be plenty.” </p><p>It was perhaps not surprising that they first had sex while laughing.</p>
<hr/><p>Ignis watched the purple curtains rustle as he stroked his fingers through Prompto's hair. Now in the quiet, was the time to be afraid that this had all been a terrible mistake that would lead to Prompto's heart shattered and himself locked in loneliness. </p><p>Oddly, he wasn't. </p><p>“Mm,” Prompto said, face pressed against Ignis's chest. “You're all sticky.” </p><p>“So are you.” </p><p>“Yep.” Prompto let out a deep sigh across Ignis's skin. “Would it wreck the mood to ask what we're gonna do now?” </p><p>“A strategy wouldn't be amiss. The game is not yet complete.”</p><p>“I guess we can't just walk away. Gotta beat him fair and square.” </p><p>“You sound confident that we can.” </p><p>Prompto lifted his head and smiled at him. “Dude, I just scored with the hottest guy I've ever met. I can do <i>anything</i>.” </p><p>Ignis, for his part, could now freely kiss him whenever he liked. </p><p>They dressed lazily and piecemeal, picking up strewn items from the bedstead and the flagstone floor. The odds had never been worse, and Ignis had never felt more capable of victory. </p><p>“It's gonna be a lot scarier to face Ardyn now,” Prompto said, stark naked and pulling on his socks first. “I can't believe he was really like that all along. All rotted and stuff. Brr. Just looking at him made me seasick.” </p><p>“Hm.” Ignis sat on the edge of the bed in his undergarments, gazing at the slightly blurry sight of his glasses on the nightside table. With his body calm and content, his mind wandered with unhurried clarity. “Have you ever smelled rotting meat?” </p><p>“Living around a kitchen with you in charge?” Prompto pulled his trousers up over his remarkably cute rear with an idiosyncratic twitch of his hips. “Nope.” </p><p>“You would not forget it, if you had.” </p><p> “Do you think he's a zombie or something?” Prompto took a few fresh shirts from the magic chest, sorted through the ones with an unconscionable number of ruffles, and found something plain and sleeveless to pull on. </p><p>“He's certainly not mindless. I have heard legends of fearsome undead creatures adept in magic. In that case there would be a phylactery— What is that?” </p><p>“Oh, this?” Prompto held up the square of cloth. “It fell off my door. Y'know, in the door place. I figured I'd keep it. Like a good luck charm.” </p><p>It was black with a white pattern of peonies. Ignis assisted in tying it around Prompto's bicep. “How <i>did</i> you find your door, in any case?” </p><p>Prompto smiled sheepishly. “I didn't have a clue. So I seriously just...” He pointed around the room. “'Yeh yoo yee.'” </p><p>“You used a children's rhyme?” </p><p>“It sort of worked!” </p><p>A sudden, dizzying affection for him washed over Ignis. “That is absurd, and utterly brilliant.” </p><p>“Aw, it was nothing,” Prompto said, and flicked the dangling end of the handkerchief. </p><p>Ignis set to getting his own clothing on. “Really, that rhyme is practically a spell in itself. It's quite ancient, in fact.” </p><p>“Yeah, I can't even remember where I heard it first. I always wondered, who's Mrs. Oonia?” </p><p>Ignis stared straight forward, unbuttoned shirt hanging open. </p><p>“Uh. Iggy?” </p><p>Prompto's hand waved back and forth in front of his eyes, but Ignis was seeing only a piece of paper full of potential names. </p><p>Unblinking, Ignis said, “Miss Izunia.”</p>
<hr/><p>Prompto had always kind of thought sex with Ignis would mean going to the library right afterward. Turned out he was right, just with a quick bath first. </p><p>The name gave them the key. </p><p>Prompto trotted after him down the aisles, and Snap trotted after Prompto. Ignis stopped and took out a big, leatherbound book, opened it, and stared at a page for a long time. </p><p>He told Prompto his idea. </p><p>Heart thudding, Prompto nodded. “Do it.” </p><p>Ignis took the chocobo-marked mirror out of his pocket. He opened up the clamshell case, but the little circle of glass showed nothing but thick black smoke. </p><p>“Ardyn,” he said, in a hard clear voice that gave Prompto goosebumps. </p><p>The smoke kept slowly rolling. </p><p>“I wish to issue the final challenge.”</p><p>For a second there wasn't anything. Then the blackness rippled, and dark purple smoke formed into the word, <i>SPEAK</i>. </p><p>Ignis adjusted his glasses like a man checking his armor, and said, “I propose we meet at sunset tomorrow. The contest will be storytelling.” </p><p>The smoke went darker, ruminating like a herd of gray cats rubbing their backs on each other. Right when Prompto thought nothing would happen, purple letters emerged from the background. </p><p><i>AGREED</i> </p><p>Ignis clacked the mirror shut and the real work started. </p><p>They set up camp at the big dark wood table with the legs covered in carvings of freaky demon faces, and covered the top in books. Ignis stared hard at them, chasing the word <i>Izunia</i> and <i>devil</i> and a dozen other things Prompto couldn't follow, but his job was book hunting. He followed the creature whose blur of fur he could half-catch out of the corner of his eye when it darted between the aisles, found another tome that shone, and added it to the stack to run back to Ignis. Then he went to get more. There were books he had to climb ladders for, and ones so old he had to carry them in both hands and go slow to keep them from crumbling, a couple of scrolls, and one book that he was pretty sure tried to bite him. </p><p>Snap, who'd always liked company, spent the whole time under the table curled up right against Ignis's feet. Sometimes when Prompto came to set another book on the table he'd see Ignis reaching down to pet him with one hand and writing notes with the other. </p><p>Prompto figured they'd be pulling an all-nighter, but around the time the sun was coming orange through the regular windows and blue and red and purple through the big stained glass one, Ignis closed a giant book and said, “I'm ready.” </p><p>“Really?” said Prompto. He suspected the fuzzy blob half behind a chair in the corner of his eye was the creature that had been helping him out, but knew if he looked straight at it it'd disappear again. “You sure?” </p><p>“I have a framework. Imagination will provide the details.” He stood up and gave Prompto this little smile, like they were both thieves sneaking around together who had each others' backs, and Prompto's heart went and turned into goo. “I know exactly what to do to inspire creativity.” </p><p>The answer to that was, naturally, cooking, and a good thing, too. Prompto hadn't even realized how hungry he was until he was smelling sizzling pork chops. </p><p>“Weird to think this is gonna be the last night here.” He leaned his elbows on the homey wooden slab of the kitchen table, looking out at the stars over the wasteland through the window. You would think the place was totally normal if you hadn't just seen Ignis pull a bowl of cherries out of an empty cupboard after asking politely. </p><p>“Strange, isn't it?” Ignis was stirring apples and onions in a cast iron pan. “Captive or not, it has not been a bad place to be. We'll have to say a proper farewell.” </p><p>The chance that they might not win tomorrow wasn't a thing to talk about. Not when you had fresh biscuits and pork with apple gravy to think about, anyway, with the hottest guy in the world for company, and a cherry tart for dessert. </p><p>When they were finished Ignis fixed another plate, put a cover over it, and headed toward the stairs. </p><p>“Whatever he may be, he remains our host,” Ignis said as Prompto climbed the stone steps beside him. “And there are rules.” </p><p>Prompto was a little afraid what they'd find in the wizard's hallway and was glad he wasn't going there alone, but there weren't any three-headed dogs or pit traps or anything. Just the study door shut tight, crossed with chains that grew from the stone of the frame. </p><p>Prompto tapped it with his knuckles. “Hey, Ardyn? Got, uh, dinner here.” </p><p>Nothing. </p><p>Snap must've wanted to go in and lay by the fire like he always did. He slunk up and scratched at the bottom of the door, but all that happened was another chain grew and latched itself tight. </p><p>Ignis left the tray on the floor and they walked away, talking to each other. Eventually the agreement was that they'd spend the night in Prompto's room, and that Ignis got to be the little spoon. </p><p>The hall was quiet when they left. There was no sound and no motion for a long time before a hand made of shadow swept over the tray on the floor, and it was gone.</p>
<hr/><p>Ignis woke in a magician's tower room with his arms around Prompto, curtains fluttering in the breeze above them, and a small bat eating grapes from the bowl on the table, and could not quite grasp the magnitude of how lucky he was. </p><p>He closed his eyes again, and let himself listen to Prompto's soft breathing while the previous day's research murmured in his head. </p><p>(<i>Thievery shall be punished by gold, murder by steel, consortion by hot iron. Truly, thou art damned, like an ill-roasted egg, all on one side. For the wondrous restoration of my hands the price demanded was a fresco of the wild figments of my dreams. A good story must have secrets, lovers, and a grand and daring escape. Hey ho, oly oh, all around theater / Kindle oat and shrive the goat / And pay the doctor later.</i>)</p><p>It was knocked cleanly from his head when Prompto opened his eyes, gazed at him with the bleariness of early morning, and said, “We're not gonna have to order room service, cause you are a snack.”</p><p>“Be that as it may,” Ignis said, and kissed him good morning midsentence, “the omelet I am going to make you will be a work of art.”</p><p>Ignis stood and stretched, and sought something appropriate to wear into the lion's den. When he opened the enchanted chest, he found their own clothes there, marked with the skulls of Lucis, washed and neatly folded. He did up the buttons like a knight donning a cuirass. Prompto put on his Crownsguard blacks and tied the handkerchief he had found around his arm. The air was vivid, as it always was before a confrontation. </p><p>At the kitchen table, over exemplary omelets, Prompto said, “We hitting the books again today?” </p><p>“No,” said Ignis, to his own surprise. There were times when you had to let the ingredients be, and the recipe would come of itself.  “I believe I have all the pieces. Instead...”</p><p>He looked at Prompto's curious, tilted face, and the light that poured in from windows looking out on desolate crags.</p><p>“Shall we go exploring?”</p><p>They spent the day wandering the castle, opening doors that no hand but the sorcerer's had ever touched. They walked through underwater depths where they could breathe unimpeded, lit by floating orbs in jeweled colors. They stepped out onto a spire where their bodies were light as soap bubbles, and flew on pairs of wings hung on coathooks by the door, Prompto whooping and trailing vapor through the clouds. They walked through gardens that bloomed with fragrant herbs in every color, where Prompto ran about sniffing their fragrance and Ignis pocketed a few sprigs for seasoning, and, he admitted to himself wryly, as his own variety of good luck charm. They picnicked on spreading sands beneath six daylight moons, and when Ignis opened his eyes after their kiss, he found that all around their blanket tiny blue flowers had bloomed. </p><p>“It's funny, you know,” Prompto said, head in Ignis's lap. “There's so many things here, and the more amazing they are, the more I miss home.” </p><p>“We will return there soon,” said Ignis, and refused to entertain the possibility that he could be wrong. This would not be goodbye. “I promise you.” </p><p>Prompto reached up and took his hand tightly. “Whatever happens, I don't regret anything. Not one bit.” </p><p>By sunset, they returned to the castle's halls. </p><p>The stones were quiet,the candelabras already lit. Snap kept pace close beside them until they reached the spiral staircase to the tower, where he would not follow. </p><p>Prompto knelt to pet his snout and said, “Wish us luck, buddy.” </p><p>They climbed the staircase, where the red light of sunset shone it through the narrow windows. The sorcerer was waiting for them at the top.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Chapter 17</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i>The door opened at a touch. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>In a spray of rain, Prompto stumbled into a place he'd only half thought could exist. It was cold and darker even than the night outside, and when the door closed it left him in a sudden silence. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Is anybody here?" he cried out, stumbling forward blind. "You've gotta help him!" </i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Oh?" The voice from the dark was playful. "What an impassioned plea. You've touched my...interest." </i>
</p><p>
  <i>There was a white flash of lightning that seared Prompto's eyes. When he opened them, there was a man lounging in an armchair in a puddle of light in the center of the room. He was almost Amicitia-sized and had wavy purplish hair, a robe that looked made of silver chain links, and a glass of wine that he was swirling in one hand. There was a smirk on his face like a scared, panting guy dripping on his floor was funny, but not quite in a ha-ha way. Prompto didn't care. He existed and he had to be magic. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Please. Noct, he's sick."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Noct, Noct...ah, you mean Noctis Lucis Caelum. Oh dear. A little bat told me the poor prince is in an awful state. But what a high-placed friend you have! Losing his patronage would be terrible, but saving him, oh, that would net you all manner of rewards. Surely you'll be awash in the gold of gratitude." </i>
</p><p><i>Prompto shook his head hard, splattering water. "I don't care about any of that stuff. He's my best friend and he's, he's..." </i>Not gonna make it<i> stuck in his throat and turned into a sob. He caught a breath and spat out what mattered. "Save him. I'll pay anything."</i></p><p>
  <i>"Anything?" The wizard stopped swirling. "All right then. Your life for his, as the old tra—"</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Fine, whatever you want. Just help Noct!" </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Prompto barely heard the words coming out of his own mouth, and barely noticed that the wizard spilled a drop of  his wine midsip. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>"You agree to the deal, then." His voice was lower now, and he had yellow eyes. He looked like he hadn't shaved for a while, Prompto noticed, which was strange and human.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Prompto's breath rasped past his throat and seemed even louder in the big, dark space after he swallowed. His life. When he tried to think about it all he could see was Noct pale and still in that bed that almost swallowed him up, and the long-bearded doctor saying there was nothing he could do. "Yes." </i>
</p><p>
  <i>The word flew out of his mouth and glowed gold as it looped through the air. The wizard caught it between his thumb and forefinger and tucked it into a bottle he pulled out of somewhere in his robe. Prompto blinked blearily and figured this must have all made sense. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>The wizard stoppered the vial, tucked it away, and said, "The deal is made." </i>
</p><p>
  <i>So that was it. Prompto tried not to think too much about what he'd just agreed to. That was surprisingly easy for a minute at least, because there was plenty of strange things to watch, starting with the wizard standing up and flinging his glass to the floor. It broke in a plume of purple smoke that billowed and grew until it filled the whole room and Prompto coughed, his eyes streaming. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>When he blinked them clear he was in a hut. There was a fire in the hearth and stars out the windows, and it was kind of cozy, actually. The sudden warmth made Prompto sway on his feet, but worry kept him awake. They were hung from the ceiling in bunches tied with twine, and the wizard plucked bits off and tossed them into a stone bowl. </i>
</p><p><i>(</i>"A mortar,"<i> Ignis would say over the library table, when he had Prompto going through the story in as much detail as he could remember. </i>"The little club that does the grinding is the pestle."<i>) </i></p><p>
  <i>The wizard hummed to himself while he threw things together and ground them up. "A touch of this, a dash of that, a pinch of these and those. Some ginseng, fox's love, rat's tail, phoenix barbule, brainpan tuft, hearts of vigor and johnny-come-lately. Combine well with a little solvent spirit and boil over a fierce, steady fire for thirty seconds or until the charm is firm and good. Then simply decant, and...!" </i>
</p><p>
  <i>As he poured the shining liquid, there was a flash of light, and they were back in the chilly, dark castle. It had all taken less time than it took Prompto to do his hair in the morning. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>The wizard whistled, and a crow appeared out of the dark above them. There was a little table in front of him now, with a little bell on a stand. He handed the crow the vial and told it, "Administer this to the prince of Lucis with all haste." </i>
</p><p>
  <i>The crow vanished into the dark. Prompto stood there, his legs aching from the ride and his heart aching with fear. The ringing of the bell made him nearly jump out of hi soaked skin. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>"It is done," the wizard said. "Your prince shall live on, healthy and hale." </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Prompto let out a breath that drained him down to the bottom of his chest. It was over, and he was as ready as he was going to get. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Okay," he said, shutting his eyes tight. "Do it quick." </i>
</p><p>
  <i>The wizard's voice said, "Do what?" </i>
</p><p>
  <i>One of Prompto's eyes cracked open. The wizard looked confused. "Kill...me? Like you said." </i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Ah, right! That. I did say I would have your life in return, didn't I." He tilted his head to the side, then nodded to himself in a swish of messy purple hair. "A life of service, then. You shall remain here and act as my assistant. I'll have you polish the IOUN stones or something." </i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Oh," Prompto said, swaying as relief washed all the strength out of his bones. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Before long, he was dressed in a soft, dry bathrobe that had little skulls printed on it and sitting at a massive table. The wizard gave him a cup of hot tea and a box of square gummy things that tasted kind of like perfume. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Poor boy," the wizard said as though he were talking to himself, with a little smile hovering around his lips. "How long will it take before you regret your sacrifice? You've saved the prince, but no one will ever know. You'll have no lands, no titles, not so much as a kind word. They'll thank the gods, not you. All they will ever know is that in his hour of need you took a mount and vanished. You will be remembered - if you are remembered - as a little commoner thief." </i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Noct's okay." Prompto's head sank down toward his arms. It wasn't polite to have your elbows on the table, he thought vaguely. Ignis said so. His eyes dropped closed. Noct was okay. </i>
</p>
<hr/><p>Ignis stepped out into the night, Prompto close behind, and the trapdoor back down to the castle slammed shut.</p><p>The sorcerer stood in profile, gazing out over the crenelations of the tower at the last sliver of the sun vanishing behind the crags. His robe was a featureless black that drank the dying light. The yellow irises of his eyes were set in black, and ichor ran in a slow drip from the corner of his mouth as he raised a rotting hand. </p><p>“Welcome,” he said, in his smooth and ominous voice, “to our final contest.” </p><p>Prompto made an <i>ulgh</i> noise and took a half step back. </p><p>“Drop the illusion, if you would,” said Ignis. “You're making Prompto ill.” </p><p>The black-and-yellow eyes blinked. </p><p>A shadow passed over the sorcerer. In the moonlight in its wake stood the man they knew, eyes ordinary, skin no longer paper-pale, ichor cleared away, hands whole and in their customary fingerless gloves. Behind Ignis, Prompto breathed a sigh of relief. </p><p>“The rot was a little much, was it,” said Ardyn. He turned to face them fully and leaned back against the parapet. It was odd how comforting the sight of the man in his ordinary strangeness could be. </p><p>“It was Prompto who gave it away. He described the sensation as 'seasickness;' a malady that comes when the senses disagree.” </p><p>“Already with a seer's resistance to deception. Remarkable.” </p><p>“Acting nice isn't gonna work,” Prompto said. “You've got a lot to answer for. Locking us in a weird riddle-temple, stepping on-” </p><p>“I've no answers for you.” The sorcerer waved his hand. "Only a last chance to dispense with this farce and pledge my service."</p><p>Ignis shook his head firmly. "We serve Noct. No one else." </p><p>"And yet he wears another's favor." </p><p>Both of their gazes followed Ardyn's eyes to the cloth tied around Prompto's forearm, its ends fluttering in the night breeze.</p><p>"This?" Prompto's hand went to the cloth. "Sure, it's yours. But you gave it to me, so I can keep it if I want to."</p><p>A shadow covered the moon too quickly to get a good look at Ardyn's face. When it passed, he wore a cold smile. “Well then. Our final contest shall begin with my tale. I trust it will be edifying.” </p><p>“Then let us hear it,” Ignis said. </p><p>The sorcerer said, “Once upon a time.” </p><p>As the last light of day vanished, he lifted his hands. The clouds above and behind him lit up with a swirl of color, the screen of a magic lantern made literal. He snapped his fingers and two braziers to either side of the tower lit, filling the air with a thick incense that insinuated itself into the senses.</p><p>“A tyrant beast terrorized the land.” </p><p>The form of a dragon swooped across the clouds, jewel-colored and terrible. Its wings stirred the air and there was an animal scent, hot as its burning eyes. The sorcerer's voice fell into a hypnotic chant. </p><p>“Blades were its fangs and poison its blood. It ransacked the countryside and demanded tribute.”</p><p>Thatched huts appeared in the clouds. The creature swept across them and set them ablaze with firey breath. </p><p>“The lords of the land assembled to hear its will and trembled at what it might require. Their gold? Their lands? Their beautiful sons? Secretly they had hoarded their wealth to pay a mighty dragonslayer, should the price be more than they could bear. In a voice of cracking earth, it spoke.” </p><p>The sorcerer's voice reverberated with a timbre that shook one's bones. </p><p>
  <i>“Give me a sinner at each full moon.”</i>
</p><p>His voice dropped back to normalcy, if a voice that twined around you thick as the cloying smoke could be so called. The scent was of the curtains in the throne room on a long summer afternoon, sinking into Ignis's thoughts and making them sluggish. Out of the corner of his eye he caught Prompto swaying in time to the sorcerer's words. </p><p>On the clouds, richly dressed men huddled together and conferred. Strands of lightning ran over the gold of their chains of office. </p><p>“It was a stroke of magnificent luck. Now they could discard their criminals, their enemies, their rivals and unwanteds, at a rate of one a month.” </p><p>The dragon's jaws snapped at silhouettes. </p><p>“And so each was given, and seen no more. And the people came to fear the monster not half so much as their masters.” </p><p>The shapes on the clouds cleared until a single silhouette arose, bearing a sword and shield. </p><p>“One day, a volunteer appeared. A young, brave knight stood to take the place of the monster's gift. The lords readily agreed, as there is no villain more dangerous than a noble one with a pure heart. And so the knight struck out alone.” </p><p>The shadow strode along the cloud past landscapes that glowed summer green and faded to purple with a full moon above. The incense smelled of moonlight. The sky was dark as velvet, though the sun had set only minutes before. Hadn't it? How long had they stood here, watching the shadow stride along its unfurling path? </p><p>“The knight reached the beast's cave.” </p><p>The silhouette walked into a dark maw. A ruddy light smeared from left to right, until the knight's shadow stood before the bulk of the beast. </p><p>“'Come to slay me, little hunter?' said the creature. 'No,' said the knight. 'Come to give you what you seek.'”</p><p>The shadow's shadow-sword and armor fell away, and it stepped forward to reach out and set a hand on the dragon's foot. Smooth scales, Ignis thought, heated by warm blood. The smoke of the braziers made a hazy veil over the display. </p><p>“Yes. Company. The beast had sought sinners, in the half-formed hope that a darkened heart could love a monster. Each had raised a weapon in revulsion and been in turn devoured. They had been fools to strike there, for no blade could harm the beast in its own stronghold. Yet the knight was honest, and the dragon's bitter heart was moved. For it had been so terribly lonely, and was no longer.” </p><p>The dragon's shadow shrank. </p><p>“In a trice it shed its scaly form and became a beauty.” </p><p>It wavered like ink in water and became a graceful, winged figure, almost entirely human as it stood and joined hands with the knight. </p><p>“They fell into one another's arms and remained entranced for days. Yet when they were slaked, it was only the beginning of the wonders. Here underground were marvels without end.” </p><p>A wall of stones of every color appeared on the cloud behind the shadows. </p><p>“The beast's cave spread deep beneath the skin of the earth. Weeks they spent in exploration, drinking from rivers of molten starlight, smelling the metals of the furnaces where mountains are forged, hearing the tales of the kobolds that seed diamonds and poison where humans sink their mines...” </p><p>As he spoke in a voice smooth as the smoke, images unfurled, more than could have in a few moments. Onward, in spills of color and shadow, each more mesmerizing than the last. </p><p>“Ah, how happy they were, safe in the dragon's stronghold, shut away from the world's cruelty. The knight soon nearly forgot the world outside, so cold and full of schemes and liars. There none could harm them. There they could be in peace. Infinitely wanted, infinitely needed, ever safe. They could still the sway of men's designs, stop the ceaseless onrush of daybreak, stave away cold reality...” </p><p>The scent of the incense richened every breath. It felt wonderful to stand in the warmth of the braziers and the sorcerer's voice, hearing his tale at Prompto's side. Where else could anyone want, if there were such thing as other places? A home full of wonders, companionship, all one could desire. Infinite safety. Still the way, stop the day, stave away, stay, stay, stay...</p><p>Out of the corner of his eye Ignis saw Prompto shaking his head like a confused animal. A slow, underwater motion. “Play zess,” Prompto slurred, barely audible. “Playzes t'be.” </p><p>“One day,” said the sorcerer, “they found an immense stone tablet engraved with the most wondrous tale.” </p><p>Slowly, Ignis's eyebrows contracted. The irritating thing about Prompto's interruption was that it had set further distractions nagging at his mind. He felt as though he had heard of another place. Something important there. He never could fully relax and enjoy something when there was a chore left undone.</p><p>“Would you like to hear it?”</p><p>Yes. That would be lovely. Ignis felt his heavy head nodding, and saw Prompto do the same. </p><p> The sorcerer smiled. </p><p>As one does when there is something forgotten to be looked for, Ignis checked his pockets. A few twigs were there, lined with narrow leaves. It seemed to lean toward his hand, as though the crystal he had touched now called to it. Rosemary gathered for dinner. You never knew when you would need a pinch.</p><p>“Once upon a time...” </p><p>As the sorcerer turned to wave his arms and shift the scene, Ignis lifted a sprig of herb to his face. He breathed in the rosemary, and remembered. The sharp, clean scent snapped the fog from his head. </p><p>The palace. Noct. Gladio. The king. The crown. </p><p>He was standing on a tower top, and he had a job to do.</p><p>As quickly as he could, Ignis pressed another sprig into Prompto's hand. Prompto gave him an incomprehending look, his normally bright blue eyes glazed in a way terrible to look upon. Ignis gestured at him urgently. With horribly ponderous movements, Prompto finally lifted the rosemary to his nose. His eyes cleared and widened. </p><p>The sorcerer turned towards them again. Ignis kept the herb palmed at his side, and made all efforts to breathe shallowly. The incense crept against him, dulling the edges of his mind. </p><p>Fighting to focus, holding his eyes on the sorcerer and not the enthralling tableau he stood beneath, Ignis said, “Enough. Finish your tale, if you please.” </p><p>Perhaps it was the smoke's influence that made the expression that passed over the sorcerer's face appear to be sorrow. </p><p>“Very well,” he said, and snapped his fingers. The shadows of the knight and human-bodied dragon returned to the stage. </p><p>The sorcerer continued, his voice brisk. Whenever he looked away for a moment, Ignis stole the chance to breathe in the rosemary's scent and keep the enchantment at bay. Prompto was counting on him. They would not abandon Noct. What the herb planted, anger anchored. </p><p>“But the knight grew wistful for home. There was a task to be finished, of course, and a certain strain of stubbornness that cannot leave a quest incomplete. Despite the beast's begging otherwise, telling that no good could come of returning to the lands of man, one day they struck out into the open air and returned to the once-bedeviled kingdom.” </p><p>The cloud turned the blue and green of sky and fields. Soon the shapes of stone buildings appeared, strange to the eye after the vast colors of the caves. A crowd of shadows joined them, the ones dressed as peasantry massed before those in gold chains. </p><p>“The people recoiled in fear, but the knight stepped forward with arms spread and explained that the beast had sought only companionship. Kindness and affection had made it tame. The dragon itself spoke in human words to vow it would harm no one, and was now no danger at all.” </p><p>The crowd stirred. </p><p>“The lords, seeing that the creature had lost its claws and taken up a voice, of course had the peasantry stab it to death.” </p><p>Prompto cried out as shadow-pitchforks plunged into the beast. It thrashed and finally lay still. Other shadows grabbed the knight. A stake appeared, and the colors of leaping flames.</p><p>“For the sin of consortion with monsters, the knight was burnt.”</p><p>The orange and red on the cloud flared brightly, and died to ash. </p><p>“That's horrible,” Prompto said. His face was pale under the brazier's light. “How could they?” </p><p>“Oh, it was all very reasonable,” said the sorcerer. “Had the knight and beast lived, they would have borne testimony against the lords and unveiled their schemes, thus inevitably leading to a revolt that would claim thousands of lives before being put down. This way casualties were minimized and the social order preserved.”</p><p>He clapped twice. The braziers extinguished, and the clouds went dark. Ignis blinked hard to reaccustom his eyes to an ordinary night sky. Strangely, it was only in the sudden lack of light that he could make out the detail on sorcerer's robe. The pure, eye-aching void was in fact overlaid with a curling pattern of ordinary black made lighter by the comparison. </p><p>“The end.” </p><p>“That's a terrible ending,” Prompto muttered, his foot scrubbing at the rooftop's stone.</p><p>“Now now,” said the sorcerer, as he folded his hands in his sleeves, “I do hope you will take a more literary view. The point of a tale is to arouse the emotions and impart a valuable lesson, after all. And now, my dear count.” </p><p>The moonlight made his golden eyes shine as they shifted to Ignis. </p><p>“It is your turn.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This part was inspired by that scene in The Silver Chair. Sorry for the fluctuating chapter count - I'm still revising and working through how to divide things up, so I'm not sure how many it'll end up as.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Chapter 18</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Walking down the stairs and into the kitchen felt so strange. Maybe it was going from moonlight to lamplight, or the smoke still messing with Prompto's head, or the lingering image of the shadow-townspeople stabbing that poor dragon. Or maybe it was just knowing that the contest his fate depended on was going to happen here and now at the same table where they had dinner. Ignis had insisted on here, and Prompto got it: everything felt different in a bright place with checked curtains on the windows. He sat down at the table and felt more human already, though he was still way too nervous to touch the cheese plate Ardyn had insisted on. </p><p>Ardyn sat at his usual chair with his black robes pooling around him. He was using an obsidian knife to cut slices of fig, and the corners of his mouth were curled up. He looked sure of himself, like he had plenty more tricks to pull. <i>He's never letting you go</i>, part of Prompto whispered, but he pushed it away. They'd made it this far. They'd gotten out of the room with all the doors. Ignis wouldn't lose. </p><p>Schemey, tricky bastard that Ardyn was, Prompto still kind of hoped he'd get to give him a kiss goodbye.</p><p>Ignis didn't look afraid at all. He sat at his place with every hair smooth, and his long-fingered hands steepled together in their gloves. Prompto knew what it felt like to hold those. Ignis thought he was cold, but Prompto knew better: under that calm, he was on fire. </p><p><i>You got this</i>, Prompto mouthed when it caught his eye for a second, and Iggy gave him a little secret smile. Then he looked straight ahead and took a long breath, and he looked so much like when he was about to give Noct a lecture that fondness flooded Prompto's brain and for a second he forget to be afraid. </p><p>“Once,” Ignis said, “long, long ago, not far from here, there lived a hedge witch.” </p><p>The sorcerer's smirk died. </p><p>“He had in a cottage in the woods, where bundles of dried herbs hung from the ceiling. Far enough for privacy and an air of the mysterious, but not so far that the townspeople could not come to him for aid and advice. To all who came to his door, he offered hospitality in the old tradition.” </p><p>Ignis's voice was as firm and steady as Ardyn's had been hypnotizing. When he was telling you something, he spoke crisp and clear. </p><p>“He had much eclectic knowledge. He set bones, read palms, gave women tinctures for fertility or against, found lost lambs, brewed love potions and draughts for deep sleep. He was mistrusted for his ancient tomes and his strange hair and eyes, but valued for his skills. He was paid in beeswax and bolts of cloth and help weeding the garden. He coexisted well enough, kept to himself, and paid his taxes. In this way, he lived a quiet life.” </p><p>Ardyn set the knife down in the center of the table with a soft click. He sat back in his chair, folding his hands in his sleeves. Prompto's pulse was thrumming in his throat. </p><p>“Once, a woman named Izunia came seeking assistance. He gave her his aid, and she gave a promise of later payment. But there was little opportunity, as soon, many in the village were struck down by a terrible illness. His people suffered, and none of his herbs or techniques had any effect. The town priest claimed it was sent by the gods, divine retribution for as yet undiscovered sins. The hedge witch agreed only that whatever the cause, it called for an unnatural solution.” </p><p>Ignis was as controlled and taut as he had been walking the tightrope over the chasm. Prompto tried to remember the last time he'd seen Ardyn blink. </p><p>“In his tomes there were words of forbidden rites. Desperate, he traveled deep in the woods in the dark of the moon and undertook a long and terrible ritual that tore at his strength and will. He danced with fel creatures the ignorant would call <i>demons</i>, and gained his first touch of true power. Every ounce of which he used to save his neighbors' lives.</p><p>“In the next days he smiled to hear them marvel at the 'miracle,' and pretended to be mystified as well. They thanked the gods, not him. But as with all things, the truth will out.</p><p>“I cannot say precisely how it was discovered, but someone spread the word and soon everyone knew their savior by name. He was lauded, celebrated, and crowned with laurels. The people overflowed with gratitude. They asked what they could give him in return, but he would take no reward. It had been only right.” </p><p>Prompto could picture that. Ardyn with leaves on his head, surrounded by people laughing and thanking him. Him vivid and alive, not the frozen stone thing across the table. </p><p>“But the clergy heard word of this. Perhaps they only wished to keep their own hold on power, the monopoly of divinity. Perhaps they truly feared that the gods' wrath would come down on them. Whatever the motive, they told the villagers that their savior had sold himself to devils, and the joy turned to horror. The people had no choice. They were caught between the mortal fear of the swords of those in power, and the divine fear that the gods could bring back the plague as suddenly as it had gone. They could only watch as he was taken, put to trial, and sentenced.” </p><p>Out the window you could see the stars over the red mountains. They were so bright here. It was like they were a million miles from anywhere, through Prompto knew it hadn't taken that long to ride here, that first night. Maybe the castle was as far away as Ardyn wanted it to be. This wasn't the kind of thing they should be talking about in a bright, friendly kitchen, totally homelike except for how quiet it was. </p><p>Ignis said, “He was found guilty of consortion with demons.” </p><p>The look on Ardyn's face was amusement curdled and gone dead.</p><p>Ignis said, “They pierced his body with iron.” </p><p>He was as still as a reptile. </p><p>Ignis said, “On his left hand, they branded him anathema.” </p><p>His gold eyes were shining like reflective metal. </p><p>“They threw him in a cell to be hanged at sunrise. But there was one who had not forgotten the favor she owed. Izunia snuck in and set him free, and he has remembered her ever since. Given that chance, he crawled out of the village and deep into the woods. There in his betrayal and despair he undertook a ritual he had read of and dismissed as impossible – he tore out his heart.” </p><p>Nothing was going to stop Ignis. You couldn't, when he had a job to do. </p><p>“The force released by the severance changed the landscape. It rose up in a fortress around him, separating and sheltering him. The shock opened his eyes to powers he could not have imagined. The last step was to destroy the heart by the proper ceremonies and gain immortality as a lich.</p><p>“He thought of Izunia, and left the task undone. </p><p>“Accounts of what he did with the heart differ – he locked it in an iron box and dropped it in the ocean, or transformed it into a stone kept inside a rabbit inside a wolf, or placed it in the branches of a tree guarded by a hundred-eyed monster that never sleeps.</p><p>“What is known more surely is that he took a longer and more meandering path to power. He licked his wounds and delved into studies of the arcane, amassing knowledge and power for their own sake.  He worked spells to slow his aging, that he would have centuries to perfect his art. He cultivated and developed his stronghold, crossing thresholds to a thousand worlds, but never to home. He lurked there, and swore he would never again do a service without a price. </p><p>“In time he seeded legends of a being in the woods who would grant wishes. He let a certain few find his door, offered them hospitality, and gave them their desires in return for parting with something they truly treasured. He pretended to believe this was to amuse himself, or to prove the petty selfishness of what favors humans would seek. He shut his eyes to how often someone came to him for another's sake. And so he passed his time toying with the desperate and hoarding treasures he had no use for, but he could not so easily dismiss one courageous young knight who was willing to give his life for his friend.”</p><p>Ardyn wasn't sitting back anymore. One hand was gripping the edge of the table, and there was an acrid scent in the air. Prompto's mind should have been on the sorcerer but he was distracted by Ignis calling him courageous. </p><p>“He was fascinated with the intruder and sought to keep him there forever. But the young knight, too, had friends who would not abandon him.”</p><p>Yeah, Prompto thought, his heart swelling until it hurt. He had a friend who would fight monsters, riddles, and wizards to get him home. </p><p>Ignis's voice was rising. When he was angry, it was a steady, unfightable pull, like an undertow.</p><p>“And he would be released. He could not be kept. The sorcerer, for all his power, was only a man, one who lived in loneliness and fear. All his arts could not make it beautiful. Because no matter which side the locks were on, a place with a door that could not be opened was a prison, and a companion kept by force was a slave.” </p><p>When Ignis finished, nothing in the world moved. </p><p>“What a marvelous imagination you have,” the sorcerer said, smooth as poison. There was a black-edged hole in the tablecloth by his hand. “But I fear missing a few details leaves your tale somewhat lacking. If I may inquire.” </p><p>Ignis said, “As you like.” </p><p>Ardyn leaned forward. From where his right hand was gripping the edge of the table, wisps of smoke were rising. </p><p>“Where did they pierce him?” </p><p>Ignis said, “His right knee.” </p><p>“What was his adeptitude?” </p><p>Smoke stung Prompto's nose. Ardyn's left hand was flat on the table, draping the end of the sleeve where the magical midnight blackness of the cloth went faded and ordinary. Flat on the table, right by the cheese plate. </p><p>Ignis faced him like a rock facing an oncoming wall of water. “He was and remains a Healer.” </p><p>Right by the knife. </p><p>“And what of the heart?” Ardyn's voice was a rattling hiss. “Where is this poor, tragic creature's heart?”</p><p>That was when Ignis's body dropped back in his chair.</p><p>“I don't know,” he admitted. </p><p>Smoke and incense in his nose. Dragons on the clouds. Loneliness and a heart locked where no one would look, safe and close and unwanted. </p><p>Prompto, half-risen, froze and stared.</p><p>Prompto said, “I do.” </p><p>Slow as in a dream, he got up and moved. He heard chairs clatter, but he didn't look back. He went to the far side of the kitchen, past the ovens and the counters and the stovetop with Ignis's favorite cast-iron pan, where Snap was crouched by the far door. There was no mistaking it was the right crocodile, with the black mark on his front left claw. </p><p>“Hey, buddy,” Prompto said softly, crouching down. </p><p>Snap scrabbled back, his claws clicking on the tiles. Poor guy looked so scared. </p><p>“Get away from there,” Ardyn commanded sharply from behind him. Not real close, though. “Leave that filthy thing be.” </p><p>“It's okay.” Prompto reached his hand out. He kept expecting shadows or ice or lightning to grab him, but nothing did. “C'mere. It's all right. It's just me.”</p><p>Snap's big reptile eyes swiveled up toward the rack of knives on the wall. </p><p>“Hey, woah, no way! I like you, remember? I'm not gonna hurt you. Promise.” </p><p>“Liar,” Ardyn's voice snarled. </p><p>Snap edged forward. Delicately, he sniffed at Prompto's hand. It probably still smelled like rosemary.</p><p>“I know, buddy,” Prompto said. “People've been rough on you, huh? So you hid somewhere they wouldn't look. I get it. I was kinda like that, before I met Noct. It gets boring, right? Then you wanted to be part of the game, and he let you cause he thought it'd be funny. But Iggy was nice to you, and you wanted to stick around.”</p><p>Tail scraping on the floor, Snap moved closer, until Prompto could reach out and stroke along his snout. It was cool, smooth, and scaly. Behind him, he heard Ardyn's breath catch. </p><p>“Very well,” Ardyn said, too fast, “the two of you have won by treachery. I grant you free passage. Get out.” </p><p>“You're a good crocodile, you know? You've been a good friend. You helped us, even though I bet he told you not to.” Prompto kept his eyes right on what he needed to do. “You don't have to be lonely anymore.”</p><p>He thought Ignis would step in, but he didn't. This part, he was trusting Prompto to handle. </p><p>“It's scary, I know. But it's worth it.” </p><p>Snap closed his eyes and nudged his head into Prompto's arms, where the end of the black handkerchief tied around Prompto's bicep trailed over his scales. </p><p>“Do you wanna be whole again?” </p><p>“Stop this,” Ardyn said, his voice strangled. “You would not <i>dare</i>.” </p><p>At a kind of awkward angle, since he was so low to the ground and half in Prompto's arms, Snap nodded. </p><p>Prompto could feel how to do it, like he'd felt how to put the tightrope maze into Iggy's sight.</p><p>“Be what you are,” he said, “and come home.” </p><p>The crocodile started to glow. First a light pinkish color, then a brighter and brighter white, and suddenly Prompto was holding onto something bright and hot as a star. He sprung up and jumped back, and it was like a fairy tale if in fairy tales people banged their butt hard on countertops. Then he couldn't move. He never knew if it was a spell or if his body had just forgotten how to. </p><p>The crocodile shape morphed, stretched upwards, and split into limbs. In a second it was a human form, and it dimmed enough to see the details – a man made of magenta light, wearing robes and crowned with leaves. His face was full of compassion and sorrow, and his steps toward Ardyn didn't make any sound. Ignis jumped back out of the way. The path between them wasn't a place for a human to be. </p><p>When Ardyn stumbled backward, it was the first time it had ever been easy to catch him limping. </p><p>“Stay away from me,” he rasped, with his right hand flung out in front of him. “I don't want you.” </p><p>Fire burst out of his fingertips.</p><p>“What good have you ever done me, you hideous creature?” </p><p>Sparks of lightning, then shards of ice. Whips of darkness came lashing after. They all passed through the glowing man without a ripple, and he kept walking. </p><p>Ardyn retreated until the wall caught him. Colors and shadows sputtered out of his hands and vanished before they hit the floor.  </p><p>“You don't want this either,” he said quickly, like somebody trying to sell you the last bangle on their table. “Do you not remember how you suffered? I can give you nothing but pain. Go back to the river where you are alone and safe.” </p><p>The glowing double reached out its hand.</p><p>Prompto had never thought the wizard's face could crumple like that. </p><p>“I should have destroyed you when I had the chance.”</p><p>The double that had been Snap was right in front of him, the magenta glow falling on his face. It was so much like him, but young in a way immortality had nothing to do with, like a piece of the past come stepping out of a marble carving. The leaves on its crown stirred in an unfelt breeze. Ardyn was frozen, now. His eyes were wide with fear and longing. </p><p>He whispered, “Traitor. Traitor. Traitor...” </p><p>The double laid its hand on his cheek, and the cry he let out cracked the glass of the world. </p><p>Prompto, gripping the edge of the counter until his fingers ached, watched Ardyn and the double glow bright white like molten metal. He tried to keep looking, but the brightness made his aching eyes fill up with tears and all he could see was them starting to merge together before he had to shut his eyes and look away. It took long seconds for the flashing lights on the inside of his eyelids to turn dark.</p><p>He must have opened his eyes at the same time as Ignis. His heart lurched. Ardyn was crumpled on the floor, alone. They both called out his name, and Prompto could move again. </p><p>He got the left side and Ignis got the right. They knelt down on the floor beside him, and it felt right to take his hands. They felt human and ordinary, just big.</p><p>“I didn't know that was what would happen,” Prompto said. “I...is he...?”</p><p>Ignis put his ear against Ardyn's chest. </p><p>“You did wonderfully,” he said softly. “Listen.” </p><p>Prompto leaned over and pressed his ear there, where the robe was soft and smelled like incense and dried flowers. It took a second to find what he was looking for, but it was unmistakable when he did. Strong and steady. A heartbeat. </p><p>He sat up and watched as the black scrollwork over the blacker-than-black robe started to change. Centered on the heart and spreading like a sunrise, it turned white, and the looping pattern that had been a faint suggestion turned bright and clear. </p><p>They were still holding Ardyn's hands when he opened his eyes. Just as gold as they had always been, but brighter and warmer now, like a layer of ice over them had melted in the sun.</p><p>In a faint, hoarse voice, the wizard said, “Tell me the joke about the sandwich.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Chapter 19</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You were supposed,” Ardyn said, “to stab through my left hand.” </p><p>The difference in the man across the table was clear even to Ignis's unmagical sight. The fine lines by his eyes now appeared mortal, and his expressions had a subtle honesty, as though he had removed a thin, clear mask. There was a pulse in his throat, one of the thousand things that sank beneath notice to tell you you were speaking to a living being. </p><p>The joke had made him laugh and laugh.</p><p>“What?” Prompto said. His expressions were, as always, especially mobile. “Like, just...” He gestured in a stabbing motion. “Dude. That's horrible.” </p><p>“Of course. An effectively dramatic end, though it was not the story you were meant to tell.” Ardyn's eyes moved significantly from one of them to the other. </p><p>Ignis said, “You meant me to speak of him.” </p><p>“Indeed. A good tale, isn't it? Love blooming in adversity against a cruel villain who seeks to keep you apart. Really, the third contest was meant to be the end of it, but it took much longer than I expected to chivvy you stubborn boys along.” </p><p>The olive from the cheese plate that Prompto was tossing into his mouth flew wide. “Wait. You were trying to get us together?” </p><p>Ardyn looked pained. “I gave you a <i>grotto</i>.” </p><p>“But why?” said Ignis. “Your fame is not as a matchmaker.” </p><p>“The more fool the world. I give those who come to my castle the tale they need, whether it be a tale of adventure, terror, or romance. In return, they give a bit of liveliness to my days.” His melancholy smile, for once, reached his eyes. “And you two have given me more fun than I've had in centuries.” </p><p>“You've taxed skills I never knew I had,” said Ignis, and knew it was understood as a compliment. Strange, to know that the loyal reptile who had lain by his fire was a part of this man. As strange as to know that he truly was at heart a human, though one capable of extraordinary things. </p><p>"You were teaching me stuff all along," said Prompto. "Ignis, too. You wanted to show him he wasn't the cold guy he thought." </p><p>"There <i>was</i> an intriguing discrepancy between the way he comported himself and his obvious nurturing nature." </p><p>Ignis said, "You could discern that by magic?" </p><p>The skin by the wizard's eyes crinkled with an unexpected fondness. "You made my scorpion a little house." </p><p>"Yes, well." It had needed a decent shelter. Ignis shifted the subject. “How are you feeling, now?” </p><p>Ardyn touched the black-and-white of his robe over his heart like an apothecary testing a recently stitched wound. “Strange. Whole. It will take some getting used to the...immediacy of sensation, as well as the lingering urge to wallow in the mud.” </p><p>“Everybody kinda gets that,” Prompto said. He looked over at Ardyn's gloved, folded hands, where they rested on the patch of charred table that showed through the hole in the cloth. “Were you gonna just let us go without finishing the contest? Stabbing you and everything.”</p><p>“Once I'd chased you from the castle, yes.” He added, a shade reproachfully, “I was going to turn into an enormous snake.” </p><p>“Eyugh.” Prompto winced. “Glad we skipped that part.” </p><p>Ardyn's mouth slanted in amusement. “And yet you embraced a crocodile.” </p><p>“Well, yeah! He's cute.” </p><p>“But that reminds me. We have not yet heard the outcome.” He waved his hand at Prompto with a theatricality that had not been diminished. “What is the verdict?” </p><p>Prompto drew out the stone and let it rest in the center of his palm. It was a pretty object, a small thing to rest a fate on. His deep breath lifted his shoulders. </p><p>“Ignis wins,” he said, and the three of them were bathed in a steady green glow. </p><p>Ignis was not the sort to loudly rejoice. He felt instead the quiet satisfaction of a job completed. They would be going home. </p><p>“Ah,” said Ardyn. His face remained friendly, though the lines deepened. “Well, then.” </p><p>Prompto's thumb stroked over the stone. He glanced up at Ardyn, and broke into one of his small, private smiles. </p><p>“I liked the main character.” </p><p>“Well then,” said Ardyn, “as the contract directs.” </p><p>He snapped his fingers and a small hole opened in the air. He reached through it, withdrew a tiny bottle, and snapped it closed again. He fiddled with the small object, rolling it between his fingers as it cast a faint gold light. </p><p>“I was expecting you would be willing to fight for this, yet I was quite surprised how readily you accepted the forfeit if you lost. You must have had some significant confidence, to be so sure you would not have to steal the crown of Lucis.” </p><p>Prompto's eyes widened as he pocketed the stone. “You were gonna...?” </p><p>“I would never have needed to,” Ignis said. “It was not me you underestimated. If I had come to Noct and told him that the crown had been the price of a chance at bringing Prompto home, he would have handed it to me himself.” </p><p>The sorcerer gazed at him as if trying to judge whether he was joking, and only broke into laughter when he realized he was not. </p><p>“Oh. What a marvelous trick you've played me.” He pressed his hand to his face. “I hope this prince is worthy of your faith, I truly do.” </p><p>“He is,” Prompto said, and no stone of truth was necessary. </p><p>Ardyn was looking down at the object in his hand. It was the tiny vial that held the word of their contract like a small, bright insect. Ignis expected another magic trick, but it was his fingers alone that undid the stopper. </p><p>“Hereby,” Ardyn said, “you are free.” </p><p>The shining <i>yes</i> leapt out of the vial into the air. For a moment it hovered above the table, followed by Prompto's eyes, until it flew toward him, landed on his lips, and dissolved.  </p><p>“Woah.” Prompto's tongue darted out. “Fizzy.” </p><p>"Return to your prince triumphant." Ardyn crushed the empty vial in his hand - his right - and the pieces fell as glimmers of snow that piled on the table for a moment before melting and leaving a darker place on the cloth. "You will take the blessings of your crystals with you. In a brief human lifetime, uninstructed, you will never be capable of more than a few minor and unreliable feats. But should mortality ever lose its savor,  know always that you need only seek a path in the dark, or cultivate an archway from a seed, and you will find my door again." </p><p>In the wake of the tension, once there was no more fear that something might go wrong, came empathy. Now that the peril was over, the dragon slain, it was all too easy to look at Ardyn and imagine what it would be like to know one would never see Prompto again. </p><p>“Thank you,” Ignis said softly, “for saving Noct, and for keeping your word.” </p><p>The sorcerer looked, for a moment, surprised. Perhaps it was not as easy to hide his expressions now that he possessed a beating heart. </p><p>“The just rewards of a tale well told. And quite thoroughly researched.” </p><p>“There was a deal of guesswork and embellishment,” Ignis admitted. </p><p>“You captured the gist. Dried herbs from the ceiling, yes. But there was one false detail; I never brewed love potions.” A shadow of a sad smile passed over his face. “There is no power in this world or any other that can make a person love someone they don't.” </p><p>Ignis's eyes fell. Outside, the mountaintop wind slid across the windows. </p><p>“I could still transform into a snake if you like,” Ardyn said with sudden brightness. “Really, it's no trouble.” </p><p>Prompto, who had been running his fingers back and forth over the gem-studded black of the tablecloth, looked up. “Hey. Could I see your hand?” </p><p>After a moment, Ardyn acceded. The hand he laid on the table was the left. Near the wrist, the sleeve faded to a mere black that looked drab and dusty against the light-sucking depth of the rest of the robe. </p><p>“Can you take your glove off?” said Prompto. It seemed a terribly intimate request, but his voice was steady. </p><p>“I suppose there's no further point in hiding it.” Ardyn's other hand pushed the sleeve up and worked at the fingerless glove. It seemed to take a deal of effort before it came off like a spider's molt. </p><p>The hand was large, more a workman's than an artist's, and strikingly ordinary in all but the purplish hue of the hair and the sinuous, pale scar burned into the back. It was not an <i>A</i>, but a symbol in an alphabet that Ignis recognized from the forest grave. </p><p>“'Anathema' was not the precise word,” Ardyn said, “but it is a passable translation.”</p><p>“It's a curse.” Prompto was staring at Ardyn's hand. “How can I see it, without magic glasses or anything?” </p><p>“That was all your own ability. I did nothing to the glasses but make them resistant to fingerprints.” </p><p>“What does it look like?” said Ignis, who had noticed he needed to clean the lenses less often lately. </p><p>“Tar.” Prompto's face had turned wan until his freckles stood out like flecks of paint on a white wall. “Black to the elbow.”</p><p>“Gifted eyes are also more open to unpleasantries, I'm afraid,” Ardyn said, and reached for his glove. “Such is the double-edged sword of arcane talent.” </p><p>“Wait.” With a speed that fluttered the handkerchief tied around his arm, Prompto reached out and placed his hand on Ardyn's. “I got Iggy's cat thing off. Maybe I can do this one too. It just takes warming up, right?” </p><p>“A playful hex is a very different creature form a true curse of hatred.” Ardyn smiled wanly. “And I fear I misled you once again; the warmth the cure requires is not physical.” </p><p>Prompto's hands had traveled with concentration over Ignis's bare skin as he stood with his feet sunk in the plush of the grotto alcove, with the sorcerer watching. His eyes had been bright blue and intent behind the borrowed glasses as he did his best to take away the ears and tail he clearly adored, because it was what Ignis had wanted. Ignis had been so certain the affection in the touch was only his own wishful thinking. </p><p>Of course, he knew better now. </p><p>He snuck a hand under the table to grasp Prompto's for a moment, and received a quick smile that could have melted a glacier in itself. </p><p>“Let us make an attempt.” Ignis's hand went to rest beside Prompto's, at the sorcerer's wrist. “I have a reward in mind if we succeed.” </p><p>Ardyn arched a magenta brow. For all his years and power, he had not lost his avid curiosity. “What would that be?” </p><p>Ignis said, “One more night with you.” </p><p>The sorcerer blinked. </p><p>“A lofty goal. Very well, then. I bid you make your best effort, and wish you good luck.” </p><p>Slowly, Prompto's thumb moved back and forth along the back of Ardyn's hand, just to the side of the pale symbol burnt into the skin. The mark was a thin line among the fine hairs. “With you, Iggy, I just did it like this. Remember?” </p><p>“Vividly.” He would not soon forget standing in the grotto barely clothed with Prompto's hands caressing him, certain that was the only chance he would ever get. “Was that curse a part of your scheme to bring us together?” </p><p>“It was on the spur of the moment, but in service of that purpose, yes.” Ardyn's fingers spread as Prompto worked between them. “I thought a pair of soft, touchable ears might be a useful...catalyst.” </p><p>Prompto groaned, and Ignis laughed quietly. “So it was. I sought their removal only because they were too great a temptation.” </p><p>“You do deprive yourself of good things, my stubborn boy. I had to work very hard to give you what you already wanted.” </p><p>“Hey,” Prompto said, “I think it's coming off.” </p><p>He pressed his thumb into Ardyn's palm, and the sorcerer's head tipped back as he murmured, “<i>Oh</i>.” </p><p>Ignis stroked along the sorcerer's wrist, capable of twisting unseen energies yet sinewed as plainly as a woodsman's. He thought of the grotto where he and Prompto had kissed to the sound of the waves in the sultry air, a place created for them. He thought of the mischievous smile on Ardyn's lips before they grappled in the wrestling match, and of his expansive gestures as he flung tea in the air to make a window to show them a vision of home. He thought of a grave carefully tended, and a mass of living plant matter with its hurts soothed. He thought of a healer sitting amidst bunches of dried herbs, making ready to sell his humanity to save his people. Of his eyes closing as he bit into a piece of libum and the lines by his mouth smoothed away, making his face for a moment that of a younger man. Of the feeling of the sun-warmed ridges of a crocodile's back, and a broad river. Of Noctis, well and whole. </p><p>Ignis knew that Prompto was thinking the same. Their hands moved in counterpoint to one another, improvising a duet on Ardyn's skin.</p><p>Though he could not see the curse itself, Ignis witnessed the change. It was in the enchanted midnight blackness spreading down the wizard's left sleeve, soaking away the drabness of the ordinary black until it reached the hem that Ignis's fingers brushed, and in the look of wonder on Ardyn's face. </p><p>The sorcerer flexed his fingers and lifted his hand away, and the look he wore as blue fire danced over his palm was pure delight. </p><p>“It's gone,” he whispered. “The weight. It's truly...” </p><p>He stroked the bottomless darkness of his sleeve. Then smiled brightly. </p><p>“Well, as they say: fool me once, won't get fuligin.” </p><p>Ignis considered that an opportune moment to kiss him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Chapter 20</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The scent of spell components embraced him just before Ardyn did. Cloth enveloped him, with strong arms beneath. Ignis had been lifted and thrown by those in more contentious times, but now they held unexpected warmth. </p><p>Now he understood why the kissing contest had given Prompto such trouble in rendering a verdict. The prickle of the sorcerer's stubble was just on the intriguing side of painful, and his attention lay fully in the kiss, teasing and exploring with leisure. </p><p>“Hey man,” Prompto said. “No hogging the wizard.” </p><p>He darted around the table and perched on Ardyn's thigh, where he took a kiss of his own. Ardyn's large hand pressed against the small of his back, spread-fingered and displaying the scar against the background of Prompto's shirt. Ignis watched, knowing exactly what that felt like, and knowing precisely why Ardyn's eyes remained closed and lips parted a few moments after it was done. </p><p>“Lovely boys.” Ardyn's eyes opened to slits, like those of a cat scratched beneath the chin. “Shall we take this somewhere more comfortable?” </p><p>He snapped his fingers. The kitchen vanished from beneath them, and for an instant they were in midair. </p><p>They landed with a muffled thump on an enormous bed.  The coverlet felt like wool, shining gold and marvelously soft. Yet the pillows were mismatched, one cased in faded rose-colored linen, one embroidered in geometric patterns in primary shades, both worn and trailing loose threads at the corners. </p><p>The room was entirely unlike the sorcerer's study. Broad windows looked out onto the sere red mountaintops. The brick fireplace was unlit, with a box of neatly stacked wood to one side and a rack holding a brush, pan, and soot-dusted sword to the other. The mantel above it held an antique clock. The stones of the floor were partially covered by a striped carpet with indentations where furniture had once stood and been moved. On the wall was a tapestry of fanciful beasts pursued by hunters on chocobos that stood with the peculiar flatness of previous centuries' art, beside an applewood wardrobe with a door slightly open to reveal an array of colorful robes. There was a set of shelves that held a crudely carved wooden fox and a vase of dried flowers. The books included a volume titled <i>The Method of Cure II</i> that was bulked with pages of looseleaf notes, and a selection of paperbacks with creased spines that made Ignis smile. </p><p>“<i>The Scarlet Dragoon</i>,” he said. “That's one of Gladio's favorites.” </p><p>“Ah, that.” Ardyn had Prompto sprawled across his lap, hair as gold as the coverlet. He gave the shelf an almost sheepish glance. “Taken as the price to clear a village's wells of corruption. I grew rather fond of it.” </p><p>“A romantic at heart,” Ignis said, and turned away from his perusal of the room to kiss the sorcerer's hand. The scar was a raised line against his lips. </p><p>“Such a gentleman,” said Ardyn. “But these are circumstances that call for a ruffian and a scoundrel.” </p><p>“I call scoundrel!” Prompto sprang up and did a twist that put him on his knees and bounced the mattress. The excitement in his voice echoed in Ignis's body. Would they be the first human beings to lay hands on this man since his transformation? “So are you really jacked, or was that magic too?” </p><p>The sorcerer's wild mass of hair shifted when he tilted his head. “I confess I never understood – what is 'jacked?'” </p><p>“This,” said Ignis, pushing up the robe's sleeve and running his hand over the muscled forearm. The feeling of fine hair beneath his fingers was strikingly human, mundanity stark as the white pattern over the unnatural midnight fabric. </p><p>“I see. The body that contended with yours is indeed mine own, untrammeled by illusion. Otherwise it would have been against the spirit of the game.”</p><p>“Weird to think we could've just banged it out way back then.” Prompto's hand wandered over Ardyn's chest, down the front of his robe. “Hey, I found buttons!” </p><p>Ignis's gaze was fixed on the sorcerer's gold eyes. He could not imagine how this welcome, respite, and anticipation were affecting a fresh and vulnerable heart. It was overwhelming enough to his own. “Would you like to do that? 'Bang it out?'” </p><p>Ardyn's eyes stayed on Ignis. His hand lay over Prompto's, guiding it to undo one invisible button after another. </p><p>“Yes. I expect I would.” </p><p>The black cloth fell away from Ardyn's shoulders into Prompto's hands. Beneath he wore another, lighter robe in a plain white that appeared shocking by contrast. It felt like simple cotton between Ignis's fingers. The wizard's large body was enveloped as though in meringue. </p><p>“Aw,” Prompto said, as he extricated the black cloth from beneath him,“I figured you were always free-balling it.” </p><p>The sorcerer smiled like a cat lying in the sun. “I shall miss your delightful expressions.” </p><p>Prompto threw the robe aside where it lay on the floor in a midnight puddle. The white under-robe was bound in a complex system of layered sashes in varying shades of white, cream, and gold, secured by cords that knotted at his back. When the sorcerer reached to undo them, Ignis pushed his hand away and took charge. </p><p>“And I will miss <i>your</i> imperiousness. There are few in existence who would dare command me, and most of them have scales.” </p><p>“Oh, Iggy's not scared of anybody,” said Prompto, who was pulling his arm out of his own shirt. “He's had to tell the Crown Prince to pick up his dirty socks like a hundred times.” </p><p>“A thousand, at the least,” said Ignis, unknotting the cords. He unwound cloth that came away in layer after layer and never made the sorcerer less remote. A prince or a king was in the end a human. This was, for all his affection and playfulness, something far stranger and more dangerous. The thought made Ignis's blood quicken. </p><p>The cords and sashes lay in a pile on the bedspread beside him, and the light robe hung loose. He seemed larger, if anything, without clothing containing him. </p><p>“Abracadabra,” Prompto said, and whisked off the last robe as though pulling the cloth from underneath a table setting. </p><p>The sorcerer was truly naked, then. It was the body of a strong middle-aged man, startlingly human for all the dark burgundy hue of the hair. It was abruptly easy to imagine him pouring buckets of water into a tin bath before a hearthfire, scrubbing forest moss from under his fingernails with coarse soap. His knee was gnarled with white scar tissue. Ignis's hand reached out and did not touch there, but the more dangerous point at his chest. Ardyn met his eyes, and they passed a moment of understanding that Ignis was never certain whether or not to attribute to magic.</p><p><i>A heart returned from exile is as delicate as one freshly taken from the ice.</i> </p><p>Then Ardyn smiled and reclined on the pillows, surprisingly substantial arms spread. As welcoming and promising as Ignis had imagined, once, and then denied having thought of. “Now, which of you shall have me first? I've a coin, if you'd like to flip it.” </p><p>“Hold on.” Prompto tore his eyes away to nod at Ignis. “Normal human team meeting.” </p><p>They shuffled on their knees to the far side of the bed, with a brief difficulty when Prompto got tangled in his own half-shed trousers. They leaned their heads together and whispered. They both still smelled of rosemary. </p><p>Prompto was somewhat shy about his idea, but once he had set out the plan, Ignis smiled slowly and nodded. They turned back. </p><p>“You've been making us do all these games and challenges and stuff,” Prompto said. “Messing with us, scaring us, tossing us in freaky door-prison things... There was a whole lot of dick moves there. So it's your turn.” </p><p>Ardyn's eyebrows lifted. “You wish to play a game?” </p><p>“Nothing so elaborate.” Ignis removed his glasses, and the sorcerer became softer-edged. He folded them with two sharp snaps. “We believe it's time to see how much <i>you</i> can handle.” </p><p>There was oil, of course, in a flask on the bedside table. This was a place where whatever you desired was at your fingertips. </p><p>Currently, for the both of them, that was the sorcerer. Ignis ran his gloved fingers down his chest, appreciating it at his leisure, while Prompto more exuberantly kissed his way upwards from the wizard's hips. </p><p>“Oh, little mortals.” Ardyn's head fell back, spilled his hair across the embroidered pillow. “Make me see stars.” </p><p>“On it,” Prompto said.</p><p>Ignis began to undress. “Then best close your eyes.” </p><p>With visible intentionality, the sorcerer ignored the suggestion. The golden eyes followed as  Ignis undressed, though he moved with more efficiency than showmanship, and his fingers stumbled over a button. With a deep breath he shed the borrowed shirt, and, harnessing the momentum, removed trousers, undergarments, and gloves as well, though he managed this without taking his eyes from the satiny coverlet. </p><p>His modesty was interrupted by Prompto's low whistle. “Wow. Ripped druid.” </p><p>“I must concur,” the sorcerer murmured. </p><p>Ignis piled his shed clothing properly beside where Prompto's had been heaped, and took up the flask of oil. What he poured on his fingers felt blessedly ordinary. “Hands and knees.” </p><p>The sorcerer's chuckle unfurled in the canopied space. “Oh my. Is that an order?” </p><p>“Yep. Up and at 'em!” Prompto grasped him by the left hand and pulled him into a kiss while pulling him into proper position. Who could ask for a better comrade in arms? </p><p>Ignis stroked his fingers into the cleft of the sorcerer's rear, winning a small sound of appreciation and surprise. “How long has it been,” Ignis said as he teased him, “since someone dared touch you like this?” </p><p>“I confess,” Ardyn said as he rocked back with his good knee, the other remaining stable, “I cannot quite recall.” </p><p>“Iggy's really good at that. Like, you wouldn't think it'd be a thing people could be good at, but he is.”</p><p>Prompto was toying with Ardyn's long maroon hair, leaning in to press his face against the juncture of neck and shoulder now and then. His affection was as irrepressible as a green shoot working its way through solid rock. Ignis's hunger sharpened, but he knew the rewards of patience. As he worked his fingers in more deeply the sorcerer moaned and slid down to pillow his head on his forearms. </p><p>Prompto looked over and said, “You never told us you had a cute butt.” </p><p>“It was never...mhm...relevant to the dis, the discussion.” He was having trouble keeping still. Ignis gave his rear a sharp swat, but oh dear, that did not appear to help at all. </p><p>“Have at it, Iggy.” Prompto's tone was light, but his eyes meeting Ignis's were glazed with lust. “Look how much he wants you.” </p><p>Against the absurd bedspread, the sorcerer murmured, “Yes.” </p><p>Despite that, it was not until he judged the sorcerer well prepared, perhaps more than some would think necessary, that Ignis slicked his cock, and for once was not troubled by the two pairs of eyes that watched him. He braced himself on the small of the wizard's back, and Prompto's hand lay over his as he slid in. </p><p>The sorcerer's moan carried through the length of his body, as though it were the sound itself that made  his toes curl. </p><p>“I know, right?” said Prompto, and Ignis warmed with flattery as well as pleasure. “He's...ooh.” </p><p>“Indeed he is,” Ardyn said, voice rough and burled. He had, Ignis saw as he moved in and out with measured slowness, placed his hand in Prompto's lap and put it to good use. “But he is, mm, terribly cruel. To leave you out.” </p><p>“Silence him, will you?” said Ignis. </p><p>“Can do!” Prompto shifted his hips upwards and guided Ardyn's head down, where he wrapped his lips around Prompto's cock and made him gasp. </p><p>“That's right.” Ignis traced patterns on the sorcerer's lower spine with one hand, while the other got an additional quantity of oil and began working his fingers in alongside his cock. He moved slowly, waves of heat lapping at the supports of his control, but remained focused on his task. Though he permitted himself a touch of ominousness when he said, “This is the easy part.” </p><p>Ardyn made a questioning noise. Prompto, an excellent partner in crime, distracted him by burying his hands in the layers of messy maroon hair. To concentrate on something other than the heat of the sorcerer's body and the sensation of his own fingers pressed tight against his cock, Ignis paid close attention to the way Prompto's eyes lidded as Ardyn lavished him with attention.  The sorcerer's back twitched and he made fascinating noises as Ignis worked him open further.  </p><p>“Prompto,” he said softly. “I believe he's ready.” </p><p>Prompto moved away from the wizard, his face dusted with a pink that extended down his neck and to his shoulders. What he felt always told through his body and motions. </p><p>“I was not finished,” Ardyn objected. “I assure you, you will know when I am.” </p><p>“Think he can take it?” Prompto's breath was short, and his eyes were bright. Heat poured from his skin as he took his place beside Ignis and took a handful of oil to add to the glisten on his cock. Thorough preparation was key. </p><p>Ardyn cast them a look back through the messy curtain of his hair. “I have held the cores of newborn stars in my hands. I have bathed in the umbral seas of the eighth prismatic dimension. I have faced the diamond teeth of the progenitor of titans. I believe I can withstand whatever you— <i>ah!</i>”</p><p>Getting the tip of Prompto's cock inside took effort and slow, steady pressure. Ardyn caught a rapid series of panting breaths that became a long, earnest moan. </p><p>“You okay?” Prompto said softly, trailing his fingers down the sorcerer's spine. “Can you handle it?” </p><p>“You wicked boys.” His hands clawed into the bedspread. “Give me more.” </p><p>Prompto pressed deeper, and for a moment Ignis thought it was the friction of his cock against his that made sparks appear before his eyes, until he realized there were in truth flashes of blue light dancing along the sorcerer's back as he gasped. </p><p>The sensation of Prompto's cock moving while held they were held tightly together came at the rhythm of Ardyn's breaths. Ignis held onto a hip for balance, while Prompto grabbed the opposite, their arms crossing midway. The muscles in Prompto's thigh hardened and shifted as he moved, and sparks flickered over the sorcerer's skin. </p><p>"W, woah," Prompto managed, and his laugh puffed against Ignis's shoulder. "Turns out he's part electric eel." </p><p>"My power," said Ardyn, in pieces as he rocked slowly backwards toward their motion, "is my body, part and parcel...I cannot say...how it may manifest..." </p><p>In awe Prompto whispered, "It jumps when you flick his nipples."  </p><p>Ignis felt a scientific responsibility to confirm that. </p><p>Indeed the sparks flickered, then turned to pulsing waves as Ignis and Prompto built a tempo. The overwhelming nature of the tightness eased as each of them grew used to each other. He found a way to focus on moving in and out while Prompto's cock slid against his, rather faster than his own pace. He picked up the rhythm to match, and Ardyn sank his fingers into the bedsheets as he called the names of strange gods.  Ignis rested his hand on the small of Ardyn's back and the sparks danced over, echoing the heat of his skin. </p><p>Ignis moved more boldly with Prompto to urge him on, his body bracing his partner's. He was making harsh breaths of his own. He began grabbing for purchase, and when his hand landed in Ardyn's hair and convulsed tightly a wave of colored light radiated from the sorcerer and left glowing bubbles drifting in the air. </p><p>"Guess he likes that," Prompto panted. </p><p>Ignis allowed himself to become rough, and the encouragement was so earnest that he leaned over and bit down onto Ardyn's shoulder as he pounded into him, tasting salt and the fizz of sparks on his tongue. </p><p>"God you're beautiful," Prompto whispered. "You know that? God, you just are." </p><p>Ignis would wonder who he meant, but at the moment there was little difference. They were only the nexus of the power and pleasure that flowed between them. He could feel the jump in Ardyn's body when Prompto grasped his cock. Ignis pressed against Ardyn's back, hand yanking roughly at his hair, teeth sinking into his shoulder as he muffled cries into his skin until he felt Prompto's hot release on his cock and it was too much, he was gone as well. In his own pleasure he scratched and bit, and the sorcerer's ecstasy came from his throat in a howl of silver butterflies. </p><p>With some effort, Ignis kept himself upright long enough to carefully extricate himself and Prompto. Then he allowed himself to slump forward and roll onto his back. Soon he found himself nestled under Ardyn's arm, and heard the distinctive <i>oof</i> of Prompto collapsing onto the other side. He let the warmth pulse slow and golden as honey through his body as he gazed up at the purple canopy and watched the blurs of silver flitter back and forth. As his own breath returned, the butterflies grew drowsier and came to settle on the blanket, wings waving lazily, until they went still and were absorbed as a pattern of silver on the gold. </p><p>"Look," Prompto said.</p><p>Trailing vines had sprouted about the carved headboard and the bedposts were in bloom. The flowers glowed softly, showing their delicate veins. </p><p>"We, ah, appear to have altered your furniture," said Ignis, a little abashed at having taken the liberty. </p><p>"A little extra decoration never goes amiss." With a snap of Ardyn's fingers a cool breeze passed over Ignis's body, and he found they were all refreshingly clean of sweat. "Oh, I shall be feeling that for days." </p><p> Another snap brought three crystal goblets hovering in midair that then filled themselves with a ruby liquid. Cordial, Ignis found when he sat up and took a taste. </p><p>They leaned against the pillowed headboard, sipping cordial and looking at the twining vines, peaceful in the aftermath of their exertion, and of knowing the danger and adventure was at its end. </p><p>"Hey Ardyn?" Prompto said. He was looking down at his glass, swirling the last bit of liquid.</p><p>Ardyn stretched luxuriously. He was a large man, and there was plenty of room for the both of them to have a side. "Yes, my dear?" </p><p>There was concern on his brow that Ignis had an urge to kiss away. "You're not going to take your heart out again, right?" </p><p>The sorcerer smiled with the hedonism of a crocodile in the sun. "How could I, when a part of it belongs to the two of you?"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Chapter 21</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Prompto walked into the kitchen on the morning of their last day in the castle, the first thing he noticed was how good it already smelled. The second thing he noticed was the view out the windows.</p>
<p>"Did you do that?" he said, looking out at the fields of flowers that covered what used to be bare red rock, framed by checked curtains that fluttered in the breeze.</p>
<p>Ardyn smiled. He was sitting at the table wearing a bathrobe that looked made of clouds, with a piece of rainbow belting it. It came to his knees and showed hairy legs and ratty lavender slippers underneath. "Not alone." </p>
<p>"Not...oh." Prompto's eyes widened at the multicolored blossoms in the morning sun. "Sex flowers." </p>
<p>"It appears romance bloomed," said Ignis. </p>
<p>Prompto went over to where Ignis was frying bacon in the big cast iron pan and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He could do that whenever he wanted now, and Ignis would do that little smile that made his heart flip over. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ardyn wave his hand, and a little dragon made out of shadow appeared, swooped in to filch a piece of bacon, and swooped back to deliver it. </p>
<p>Ignis said, "I'm bringing a plate over in thirty seconds." </p>
<p>The dragon perched on Ardyn's shoulder. "That method lacks the thrill of the hunt." </p>
<p>Prompto could understand why he wasn't moving around too much. The wizard had been sitting pretty gingerly after the number they did on him last night, when they gave him something to remember them by. </p>
<p>Aw man. He was just trying to be dirty but he'd made himself a little sad. </p>
<p>Prompto gave the little shadow dragon a scratch on the head with his index finger and it made a cooing noise. It reminded him of another beast. "So hey. Your story about the knight and the dragon, the ones who fell in love. It was all made up, right? They didn't really go out and get killed?" </p>
<p>"It was based on a few truths. Thank you." That was to Ignis, who brought over pancakes and a plate stacked with bacon. "The ending was crafted to prove a point, and thus was a weakness. Too deliberate a didactic is death to good fiction." </p>
<p>Ignis passed around a little blue and white china pitcher of syrup, and Prompto almost didn't hear the next part over how good the first bite of hot, fluffy pancake was. "How would you tell it, then, if you were being true to your sensibilities?" </p>
<p>"Much the same in the beginning. Oh." They had to give him a minute to appreciate the pancakes, because they deserved it. When he took a second to pat syrup from his lips and feed the dragon on his shoulder some dainty bites of bacon, he continued. "Yes, the same until the heroes made their decision to venture out into the wide world. And then I would say..." </p>
<p>He lifted up his left hand. The dragon hopped down his arm and perched over where the scar marked the skin. It bunched itself up, then sprang, flapped, and darted out the open window. It rose up over the flower fields into the bright blue sky, spiraling until it was out of sight. Ardyn kept watching where it had gone.</p>
<p>"...that of what came afterwards, no one can tell for certain. Only that there were many joys, many sorrows, and many adventures, of which this tale for all its wonders was only the start." </p>
<p>Prompto dragged a piece of pancake through the syrup on his plate, making patterns and thinking about all the things that might come next. </p>
<p>"In any case!" Ardyn said brightly, "You boys have done me the service of putting my heart back in place. I'm loathe to let it be said I allow a favor to go unpaid. Let's away to my treasure vaults and find you a reward."</p><hr/>
<p>Ardyn opened the door with a fancy jeweled key, and the room deserved it. </p>
<p>"When you said 'vault,' you meant it," Prompto said. His voice echoed down the cavernous hall, bouncing off shelves full of artifacts. </p>
<p>"Of course I did." Ardyn's bow was made a little less fancy by how it made his robe nearly show his butt. "Now, take your pick, each of you." </p>
<p>The stone fault was lit by candelabras that made little flame reflections jump off everything that shone, which was a lot. There were shelves full of statuettes, little carved boxes, glassworks and metal ornaments. There were little planters with tiny mountains covered in tiny trees like fuzzy toothpicks, and cases of coins in a dozen different colors with inhuman crowned figures stamped on them. There were racks of swords and spears and daggers, hooks with sashes and tassels and parasols, cases of jewels, cubbyholes with lamps and lanterns and painted vases. Ignis moved slowly down the rows looking at each thing in turn like he did when he was in the library, while Prompto sprinted ahead touching stuff. </p>
<p>"How did you even collect all this?" Prompto said, going from fiddling with a dreamily twisted stone ring to running the chain links of a glass belt through his hands. </p>
<p>"Things accumulate over the decades. A gift here, a bribe there, a few idle creations, a handful of souvenirs, treasures plucked from ruins all around." Ardyn adjusted the angle of a street sign that said ALPHA RALPHA. "Would you like an orb? I have some exquisite orbs." </p>
<p>"Nah, I'm good on orbs." Prompto picked up a big sword with a square point and writing on the blade that said something about when a terminal was established. He swung it up and tipped right over backwards. "Ahh!" </p>
<p>Ignis was gazing at a shield with a red lion on it. "We may have any we wish?"</p>
<p>"Certainly. There are rings and staves of massive powers, or if you prefer the more whimsical, a basin where you can put your dreams, or a one-thirty-fifth-scale soldier that does absolutely nothing if you collect a set of twelve."</p>
<p>Prompto hopped back onto his feet and got back to rummaging around. He tossed and caught a walking stick with a poodle's head carved on top. He didn't know how he would begin to pick something. "That's a lot to choose from." </p>
<p>"Such is the harvest of a very long life. And you need not limit yourselves to this room. If there happens to be something else that's caught your eye during your travails, you are welcome to it." </p>
<p>There was a little figurine of a cube with arms and legs and a face that Prompto picked up and fiddled with. He made its wings flap in and out. "Seriously? Anything?" </p>
<p>"Yes." Ardyn waved his hand generously. "Anything in the castle is yours for the taking, but only one. Only name it." </p>
<p>Prompto made the little figure's hand point around at all the wonders Ardyn kept locked up here safe and alone. Yeh yoo yee oh bow men oh. "You promise?" </p>
<p>Ardyn patted his chest. "Cross my heart." </p>
<p>"Then I know what I want." He could feel Ignis looking at him, trusting him to make this choice right. </p>
<p>"Excellent. What will you be taking home?" </p>
<p>Prompto pointed the little figure's hand at Ardyn. "You." </p>
<p>"Me?" The wizard blinked. "Ah, how clever! Wishing for more wishes, as one does. A bottomless well of magic is superior to a finite trinket. Unfortunately, I would become rather less omnipotent outside of the amplification spells of these walls, and moreover, I do not perform to command." </p>
<p>"I don't care about that." A crazy hope jumped into Prompto's voice. "You don't have to do any magic you don't feel like. I don't want it; I want you." </p>
<p>"You... Prompto." Ardyn's smile slowly faded away. "Enough play. Choose your souvenir and return home with your love to bask in the glory. You need no complications to dim the red-letter day. You do not want this." </p>
<p>"If there is one thing I have learned here," said Ignis, settling his glasses on his face, "it is to have faith in Prompto when he tells you what he wants." </p>
<p>Ardyn's eyes went from one of them to the other. It was weird and a little sad to see him knocked that off balance. "You're in earnest." </p>
<p>"Yeah." Prompto left the little cube guy in a cheering pose and set him back on the shelf. "I thought you were just bored, but it's more than that. You're lonely. Come home with us." </p>
<p>"Leave my castle?" Ardyn took a quick step back and knocked into a jewelry rack, making a red stone pendant swing crazily. "I would become mortal, slave to the sway of time." </p>
<p>Gently, Prompto said, "Being immortal by yourself doesn't seem like that much fun." </p>
<p>"Fun, yes." Ardyn took a deep breath that made his cloud-wrapped shoulders rise and fall. "And so it would be, until the devout stacked their kindling and put me to the torch." </p>
<p>"You're afraid," Ignis said suddenly. </p>
<p>Ardyn's teeth flashed candlelight in a reptilian snarl. "<i>Yes</i>, I am afraid. Your world drove me out and my body bears their tender reminders never to return. Do you blame me for learning my lesson?" </p>
<p>"No, and I am sorry for judging you harshly for it. It is...difficult to put one's heart in harm's way." Ignis came closer to Prompto and slipped his hand in his. "Yet the rewards far outweigh the risks." </p>
<p>"We won't let anything happen to you," Prompto said. "Besides, you saved Noct's life, remember?" </p>
<p>Looking downwards, Ardyn straightened his sash. "Gratitude is a fleeting thing." </p>
<p>"Noct's not like that," said Prompto. "He'll stick by you. He stuck by me." </p>
<p>Ardyn drew his lip through his teeth, his thumb stroking along the red edge of the rainbow belt over and over. "I have ventured to distant dimensions and the lowest hells, but I have not set foot into the prime material plane in over two millennia. I...would not know the etiquette." </p>
<p>"That I can teach you," said Ignis. </p>
<p>Prompto put in, "He taught me which one's the shrimp fork." </p>
<p>"You truly only wish my company?" </p>
<p>"Yeah," said Prompto. "Just you."</p>
<p>Ardyn was quiet for a long time. Prompto watched his face and thought about Ignis looking down and talking about breaking his heart by moonlight, and the thick nest of scar on Ardyn's knee, and Snap's head resting trustingly in his arms. Finally, Ardyn let out a sigh that stirred a nearby set of crystal windchimes, </p>
<p>"An enticing idea, in its way, but quite impossible. I will not have my magic at your beck and call, yet neither can I deny it. I will not live in shame of what I am. Your prince and kingdom will never accept such a creature." </p>
<p>"I believe they would," said Ignis, squeezing Prompto's hand, "and I am willing to stake my own skin on it." </p>
<p>Ardyn's eyebrows lifted up. He never could resist a game. "Are you, now?"</p>
<p>"Yes, and I know precisely how. But first, I will take my reward."</p><hr/>
<p>And so as the sun rose high the three of them set out for home, with Prompto whistling his way through the field of flowers, Ardyn in a simple (for him) lace-trimmed black robe with a dragon claw staff and a shady hat, and Ignis in a hooded cloak, carrying his old knapsack with his favorite cast iron pan strapped to the back.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Chapter 22</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When the flowers gave way to forest, Ardyn turned back. The castle stood against the bright blue sky. Ignis had not seen it in the daytime before; in the light it was less looming and more whimsical, an asymmetrical and rambling stone hulk. </p>
<p>"You have been a fine abode these many centuries," the sorcerer said softly, "but I no longer require a place to hide. Farewell." </p>
<p>He turned away, and they struck out for Lucis.</p>
<p>"Will the messenger bat be okay?" Prompto said. "And the imps and stuff?" </p>
<p>He kept darting ahead in enthusiasm, and Ignis could hardly blame him. It felt wonderful to be walking in the open air, in the sun that dappled down through the branches. The sorcerer's castle may have been a place of wonders, but it could not compare to the restful wildness of the forest. </p>
<p><i>Is that a druidic thing to think?</i> Ignis wondered wryly. He had never considered himself the woodsy sort, only coming out to hikes and camping at Gladio's impetus. He could feel, now, the whisper of life in the nettles that brushed his calves and were stymied by his thick stockings. Perhaps it was the crystal's gift; perhaps only that he was paying attention. </p>
<p>"They'll manage quite well," said Ardyn, his elaborate staff swishing through the weeds."All the denizens are capable of taking care of themselves when released from their spells of service. Besides, I left <i>Enter Not This Accursed Place Lest Ye Taste Despair</i> carved above the entrance. There will ensure no shortage of adventurers seeking their fortunes."</p>
<p>"It would be more direct to say <i>Welcome</i>," Ignis opined. </p>
<p>"Efficiency is the antithesis of a good lair." </p>
<p>It did not seem to take as long to descend the wooded mountain as it had to climb up. Soon they were in the lowlands among signs of humanity; there was a fragment of broken fence along the road here and there. By noon the woods opened up into pastureland, where cows gazed with curiosity at the unusual trio. The scents of grass and wind seemed bright as the sun. Though it grew rather warm, Ignis kept his cloak about him and the hood raised. From beneath it he noticed many things, such as how Prompto kept Ardyn busy with chatter as they made there way into the town, among people. </p>
<p>Even for Ignis it was startling to be in the bustle and scents of human habitation after what felt like long, dreaming ages with no one but Prompto, the sorcerer, and magic beasts. He maneuvered aside out of the way of a woman with a basket of fragrant loaves, past a stall of fresh fish that was a wonder. Prompto, too, bloomed here. He shouted to friends and shone with energy as he dodged questions about where he'd been and now and then, almost too quickly to catch, pressed Ardyn's hand. Ardyn, casual despite or because of the hints of strain in the corners of his eyes, must have known what a crime it would have been to keep this man imprisoned. </p>
<p>The castle rose before them, bright and open with its splendid white stones. With Prompto bounding forwards, and Ardyn leaning on his staff and taking a slow swagger that covered his limp, they ascended the staircase to the gates of home. </p>
<p>Prompto waved at the guards. "Hey guys! We're back!" </p>
<p>"We have returned," Ignis said in a slightly more ceremonious manner, "with a guest." </p>
<p>Their footsteps rang on the marble of the floors. The palace was airy and bustling - not full of sorrow and dread as it had been during Noct's illness, nor wild with joy as it had been at his miraculous recovery, but businesslike at the ordinary pulse rate of life. Ignis had had no idea how much he'd missed it. </p>
<p>"Lovely cornices, tasteful stained glass," the sorcerer said, "but a sad lack of cobwebs and clinging shadows."</p>
<p>"We'll find you a tower and some spiders," Prompto promised. </p>
<p>At the doors to the throne room stood Cor, who inclined his head as they approached. </p>
<p>"There you are," he said, as though he'd been expecting them by appointment. "Good to see you alive and well."</p>
<p>"Sir Leonis." Prompto came up into a salute, fist over heart. "Sorry about missing so much training." </p>
<p>"You'll make it up to me." His eyes went up to Ardyn. "Who's this?" </p>
<p>Ardyn tipped his hat back. "A country physician eager to meet the fine young prince on whose behalf so much has been done." </p>
<p>Ignis said, "Is Noct about?" </p>
<p>"He and His Majesty just finished taking audiences. They'll be glad to see you." They began to walk in, but Ardyn was barred by Cor's arm. "No weapons in the royal presence. I'm going to have to ask you to leave the staff here." </p>
<p>Ardyn paused and gave him a winsome look. "Would you begrudge an old man his walking stick?" </p>
<p>Cor's gaze traveled from the base of the staff, along its runecarved haft, and to the bronze dragon's claw at the top that grasped a crystal that shone with a faint, pulsing light. "Yes." </p>
<p>"Oh, fine." </p>
<p>The sorcerer handed his staff over to Cor for safekeeping, and they entered the throne room to see the king, the prince, and their Shields. </p>
<p>Ignis had believed he was ready. He had seen Noct with the fevered haze gone from his eyes before leaving to seek Prompto, and had heard him say "Hey, Specs" with a weak smile. In Ardyn's scrying he had been on his feet and looked his old self again, but it was nothing to seeing him standing beside the throne in person. His jet black hair was an artful mess that hung in his eyes, as always, but his equally black formal clothes were pressed, and his posture was just as Ignis had taught him. Ignis was not prepared for how it would feel to see him with the flush of life in his skin, or with joy dawning over his face. </p>
<p>"Ignis! Prompto!" he called out, transforming from prince to boy in an instant, and how could Ignis reprimand him? </p>
<p>Noct ran down from the dais and embraced them by turn, with Gladio close behind.</p>
<p>What could Ignis say about that moment of homecoming? The bells that had rung through the city for Noctis were nothing to the clamor in Ignis's heart. There were questions and babbling in every direction, and he would not claim his eyes were dry. </p>
<p>"I knew you'd find him," Noct whispered, embracing him, still too thin, but much could be done about that. </p>
<p>"It is so good to see you," Ignis managed around the thickness in his throat. </p>
<p>Among the slaps to his back that could have sent him across the room if it weren't for his excellent balance, Gladio said, "You crazy bastards really did it." </p>
<p>Prompto, several places at once, said, "Noct! I tossed meat at a demon in a hole!" </p>
<p>He could not say how long it was until the king gently cleared his throat. Immediately Ignis straightened his hood and sprang to attention, with Prompto following suit a moment after. </p>
<p>"Count Scientia," King Regis said. "Crownsguard Argentum. Welcome home." </p>
<p>They bowed and murmured their <i>Thank you, Your Majesty</i>s.</p>
<p>"I am glad to see you safe, and I hope you will introduce me to your companion." </p>
<p>It was not until then that Ignis realized he had been half expecting for Ardyn to have vanished in a soundless puff of smoke, fleeing back to his fortress under the perfectly adequate excuse of mystery. But he kept his word.</p>
<p>"Ardyn," the sorcerer said, removing his hat and sweeping an archaic bow. "A simple purveyor of charms and tinctures, and specialist in esoteric remedies." </p>
<p>"Uh-huh," Noct said. "Which means...?" </p>
<p>Prompto said, "So you know the wicked wizard in the woods who grants wishes?" </p>
<p>"Yeah." After a moment to let it sink in, Noct's eyes widened. "That's him?"</p>
<p>"In the flesh," said Ardyn, placing a hand on his chest, "though 'wicked' is a rather strong word." </p>
<p>Noct looked him up and down, a process that took a while when the eye had so much lace-complicated distance to travel. Seeing him in person must have been very different from hearing about him in a few written words, even if they were delivered by a bat. "So...magic is a thing." </p>
<p>"Indeed, though you need not take my word for it. There happens to be a magical creature behind the throne." The wizard tilted his head. "A bit to the left of it, I believe." </p>
<p>Every head in the room turned to look at the dais, including the king's, and there were two Amicitia hands on sword hilts. </p>
<p>"A natural reaction, in magic's presence," Ardyn said with soothing gestures and a hint of bitter melancholy. Fingerless gloves once more concealed the scar left on his hand by someone who had feared his power. "But from the aura, it is quite harmless. It's certainly somewhere in that area, but alas, pinpointing these things is such a troublesome task. If only there were someone here with a knack for the second sight." </p>
<p>He was, Ignis realized, giving Prompto the chance to remain silent and deny him. </p>
<p>"Oh, I can!" Prompto said, hopping up onto the dais. "He showed me how to do some stuff, Noct. Like..." </p>
<p>He squinted and held his hands up as though framing a photograph, shifting them around one way, then the other. He <i>hmm</i>ed.</p>
<p>"There!" he cried, pointing. </p>
<p>Ardyn pulled a small bag from somewhere in the recesses of his robe. As he walked to where Prompto indicated, he poured a silvery powder into his palm. </p>
<p>"Little creature, Caelum's guide, reveal to us the light you hide," he said, bent, and blew. </p>
<p>The powder billowed into a cloud. Ignis's nose wrinkled at the sharp scent, and he leaned in to try to make out the darker shape at the center the size of a small dog. As the dust cleared, the shape seemed a fuzzy splotch of turquoise. Then, in a tiny sneeze, the cloud dispersed. </p>
<p>"What <i>is</i> that?" the king said.</p>
<p>"Carbuncle!" Noct exclaimed. </p>
<p>The creature was small and foxlike, with large, sweeping ears and a short, crystalline horn at the center of its forehead. It shook the lingering dust off like a dog shaking off water and bounded toward Noct to leap up onto his shoulder. </p>
<p>"That's the thing!" said Prompto. He reached out toward it shyly, and it sniffed his hand with twitches of its black nose. "The thing that showed me where the books were. Oh man, it's so cute! How you doing, little buddy?" </p>
<p>"You, ah, recognize this animal, Noctis?" said the king. </p>
<p>"Yeah." Noctis looked at where the dainty paws clung to his jacket. "I thought he was something I made up when I was a little kid. I call him Carbuncle cause the horn color made me think of the necklace in that fairy tale you used to read me when I was... Look, it's not important." </p>
<p>"So this is the prince for whose sake so much has been done." Ardyn's voice was not raised, but it silenced the chatter and the creature's small noises. "And it is you whose dream-beast has been haunting my library." </p>
<p>"I <i>have</i> been dreaming about books a lot lately," Noctis said. With his index finger he scratched at the base of Carbuncle's horn. "That was something magic?" </p>
<p>"You sought to assist your friends," Ardyn said, "and your familiar followed your wishes."</p>
<p>"Familiar, huh." Noct picked the creature up in his arms. The black of his uniform could be seen through it, and its solidity faded by the second. "Hey, he's going away!" </p>
<p>"Yes, yet he is always with you. My little trick brought him into visibility only for a moment. Creatures of magic are shy things." </p>
<p>Noct turned an unexpectedly acute look on him. "You too?"</p>
<p>"Yes. Myself as well." The sorcerer's eyes lingered on the fading creature until it was gone from sight. Noct's arms retreated slowly to his sides. "Thus there is one more test I must make of you, Your Highness." </p>
<p>King Regis straightened and the force of his office gathered around him. "My son has been ill and is in no condition for any such thing." </p>
<p>Particularly sharp hearing could catch a murmured, "Dad, I'm <i>fine</i>."</p>
<p>"It is nothing taxing, I assure you. I must ask only this, dear prince: would you scorn one who bears the mark of the arcane? Would you excoriate the unnatural, or exile one who consorted with the fell?" </p>
<p>Noct straightened his jacket and watched Ardyn attentively, in the attitude of receiving audience that Ignis had prodded him into practicing so many times. "That would be pretty hypocritical of me, when I have my own magic animal." </p>
<p>Ardyn's whimsically careless expression remained in place like a plaster cast. "Nevertheless." </p>
<p>"No," Noct said. "I wouldn't." </p>
<p>"Let us see the truth of that." Ardyn raised his arm with a conductor's poise, voluminous sleeve draping downwards. "Count Scientia, if you would." </p>
<p>All gazes turned to Ignis, the sorcerer's excepted. This had been agreed to with the stipulation that Ardyn would keep his eyes fixed on Noct, in order to take in the expression on his face when Ignis removed his cloak and let, as it were, the cat out of the bag. </p>
<p>His tail swept the open air. His ears twitched partially from the removal of the hood's weight, and partially from Noct's tiny, stifled squeak. </p>
<p>"Oh my god," Noct whispered, eyes wide. "Oh my god." </p>
<p>Within a breath he was a step from Ignis, hands reaching up as though possessed. Obligingly, Ignis inclined his head. The touch was slow and reverent. </p>
<p>Noct said, "Oh my <i>god</i>." </p>
<p>"I told him to have faith." Ignis smiled as well-being flowed through him, and his hand gripped and released the folded cloak. "I knew your rrrreaction would be pawsitive." </p>
<p>One day Noct might appreciate his achievement in striking the sorcerer dumb. </p>
<p>"Huh," Gladio said. He gave the end of Ignis's tail a flick. "They're real." </p>
<p>"As real as you or I." Ardyn's voice came oddly to ears with Noct's hands in the way. "Now, Your Highness...Ah. Your Highness?"</p>
<p>"Just a minute," Noct said vaguely, as his thumbs delved into Ignis's hair to stroke the soft, downy fur at the ears' base. </p>
<p>"Prince Noctis," the king said. "You have a guest seeking an audience." </p>
<p>To assist, Ignis said under his breath, "Later you may pet them to your heart's content." </p>
<p>"Promise? Right! Right." With a deep breath, Noct lowered his hands, manfully resisted the way the ears involuntarily twitched at the lack of attention, and turned to Ardyn. He straightened and focused, shoulders back, just as they had practiced, and Ignis felt a rush of pride. "I will hear you." </p>
<p>Ardyn waited for all eyes to be on him and placed his hand over his heart. You could take the wizard from the lair, but you could not take the flair from the wizard. "I am a thaumaturge of some little skill. I have resided in this land since time immemorial, ensconced in a fold of space that is outside of time, out of step with the material plane, and certainly tax-exempt. I come to offer you my services, young prince, as a court mage." </p>
<p>"What's that- I mean, what services would those be?" </p>
<p>The sorcerer's golden eyes were steady, and in his face there was a glimpse of his true age. "Make no mistake. I will not be a djinn at your command. I will not summon you riches, slaughter your enemies, or cover you in conquest and glory. Should you ask too much of me I will demur, and should you demand, I will be gone."</p>
<p>Noct said, in a prince's voice, "I understand." </p>
<p>"What I offer you is only this." Ardyn spread his hands. "My wisdom. My advice. A tilting of the odds in your favor. My thumb on the scales, and a bit of smoke and a few mirrors to liven up this cavernous space. Tutoring in the arcane arts for these two, to teach them what few cantrips one can learn in the briefness of a human lifetime. Herbs and tonics, and poultices for the knee His Majesty favors." </p>
<p>"You can help my dad?" Noct said, then got hold of himself. Good, he had recalled the key factor in stories about this man. "What is your price?" </p>
<p>"Nothing easily done, I'm afraid." His smile was faint and thin at the edges, as near to disappearing as a shadow when the sun set. "A treacherous and terrible thing." </p>
<p>"Name it," said Noct. </p>
<p>Ardyn breathed in deeply. He might have flicked his fingers and vanished in a cloud of feathers, or pulled a thousand distractions from the air, here in this last moment where he could change his mind. </p>
<p>"Be always a friend to me," Ardyn said. "Be worthy of my trust." </p>
<p>The throne room was silent as Noct thought over the magnitude of what he was being asked. As difficult, Ignis thought, to ask as to grant. </p>
<p>Noct said, "I will." </p>
<p>The words left his mouth in a glimmer of gold that flashed through the air, turning in loops as it sailed toward Ardyn, where it dove in circles around his forearm and, finally, slipped beneath the glove on his left hand. </p>
<p>"Well then." Ardyn's thumb stroked over the back of his glove. "Well, then." </p>
<p>Later Ignis would see the lettering laying over the pale scar, and would kiss the gold glimmer over the traces of the brand. For now, it was Prompto who seemed to glow as brightly when he said, "Welcome home."</p>
<hr/>
<p>Prompto managed to steal a second alone with Noct by the throne while Ignis, the king, and the rest of them were hammering out some details. The sorcerer was basically a new hire, after all. </p>
<p>After all this time thinking he might not see his best friend again, now that he was right there, suddenly Prompto didn't know what to say. He managed, "Hey." </p>
<p>Noct bumped his shoulder against his. He felt so solid and himself, not bony and weak like when Prompto had last been here, that a fresh wave of relief made him dizzy. "Hey." </p>
<p>Noct took a minute to look at him really close, which couldn't have been easy with Ignis right over there swishing his tail around while they talked about where to put Ardyn, and said, "It's weird. You weren't gone that long, but you look...I don't know. Not older. Wiser? Like you've been through some stuff." </p>
<p>"Maybe it's the magic rock," Prompto said, standing up straighter. "I solved a door riddle and touched a magic rock." </p>
<p>Noct laughed the same goofy laugh he'd always had, and suddenly Prompto saw it bright and clear; the kid who'd posed for pictures on a boat for him all one afternoon until he got too ambitious about doing a cool lean and fell in the lake. </p>
<p>Then Noct said, "Is that what you did that saved my life?" </p>
<p>"Nah." Prompto ruffled his hand through his hair, sheepish at being called out. "I just...made a wish." </p>
<p>"And it came true?" </p>
<p>"Yeah," Prompto said, next to his friend, watching Ignis's ears twitch in dignified thought while Ardyn swept his arms around and asked where he could find <i>a standard alchemist's alembic</i>. "And then some." </p>
<p>There was curiosity all over Noct's face. "You gotta tell me everything."</p>
<p>"I will, promise." Prompto grabbed his wrist. "First let me show you the best thing in the world." </p>
<p>While they moved closer as quietly as they could, the king was saying, "—for accommodations. There's a suite in the east wing, or the Ward Tower...no, that's half ruined and full of ravens." </p>
<p>"Is it?" The wizard perked up.  "Are the steps spindly and precipitous?"</p>
<p>"They're steep, yes," said Ignis.</p>
<p>"Does it cast an uncanny shadow in the moonlight?" </p>
<p>"You could say so," said Noct's dad.</p>
<p>"Does the wind howl mournfully as a lost soul through the battlements?"</p>
<p>"Guards have described it that way," said Gladio's dad. </p>
<p>Ardyn put his hands over his heart. "It's perfect." </p>
<p>Prompto and Noct approached quietly from behind. Prompto reached out and tapped Ignis on the shoulder. "Hey, Iggy."</p>
<p>Ignis turned and said, "Prrrit?" </p>
<p>Noctis made a strangled, delighted noise. </p>
<p>"I'm going to get a lot of that, aren't I," said Ignis. His tail swayed back and forth until it ended up in Noct's hands. </p>
<p>"I love magic," Noct whispered, and buried his fingers in the fluffy fur of Ignis's tail.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Epilogue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>History recorded the reign of King Noctis Lucis Caelum was as a time of quiet prosperity. Harvests were good, disasters few, and wars most often averted by someone or another thinking better of the idea. He ruled justly and wisely, and did not rule alone. </p>
<p>The king was protected by his Shield, who was seen often descending the tower steps with a stack of books or ascending them to discuss history late into the night. </p>
<p>The king was guided by his advisor and majordomo. Ignis Scientia's wit and prudence became well known throughout neighboring lands. He was respected among agriculturalists for assisting in breeding a hardy, disease-resistant grain with a high yield and fine flavor, and the excellent vegetable gardens he oversaw were appreciated by many, though never entirely by the king. Those in distant lands who heard tell of him assumed the descriptions of his feline grace to be metaphorical. </p>
<p>The king was served by his captain of the guard, a commoner who rose to the position through loyalty and skill. He was known for being compassionate and generous to those in need,  but if any came looking to take advantage of him or his liege, he had a way of seeing right through them. Many privileges could have been bestowed on him, but he took only a well-appointed darkroom and a chocobo named Daisy. For all the advances in photographic technology over the years, he kept his beloved original model Brownie, which developed somewhat better color and resolution than should have been quite possible, in return for the occasional bowl of milk at night. </p>
<p>The king was accompanied by a court mage, an odd man who appeared one day and made himself at home. He had an extensive collection of elaborate robes and a tendency to appear out of the shadows when no one was looking. He had taken up residency in a tower, where the advisor and captain had brought him housewarming gifts of framed photographs, a potted plant, and a jar of spiders. He claimed that the spiders in his tower were forever descendants of that first gift, which was possibly true, and that he could see glimpses of the future in their webs, which was certainly not. A black chocobo chick that hatched soon after his arrival took a liking to him and became his steadfast steed. He made regular appearances at feasts, where he entertained, opined on the wines, and attested that the advisor had used time, salt, and fermentation to turn the innards of the king's catches of mackerel and anchovy into a remarkably palatable garum. Others were content to take his word for it.  He never lost a crocodilian toothiness to his smile, or a fondness for lying naked on muddy riverbanks on hot days. </p>
<p>Every kingdom, he said, needed its mysteries, and Lucis had its share, including the abandoned castle  where courageous adventurers were said to find treasure. According to legend those in need, or those a little lost, might wander long enough to find a keep surrounded by flowers that glowed under the moon and were valued for their healing properties. </p>
<p>The advisor and captain often ventured up to the mage's tower for lessons in cantrips or to drink to the king's health, though a man so robust could hardly be said to need it. Sometimes odd lights could be seen from the windows at night, and, now and then, butterflies. Though no one could quite say how they knew, besides through glances, favors, and the careful resewing of buttons onto a robe or jacket, it was a fact of the kingdom that the three of them loved one another. </p>
<p>They, of course, had other adventures, and brought back other treasures to line the shelves of the wizard's tower. But however crowded it grew there remained space on the wall for a few photographs, and the little pot of rosemary remained on the windowsill, deepening its roots and drinking in the sun.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This thing is a bit of a love letter to all my favorite fantasy stories, so there's a bunch of easter eggs scattered through. Ardyn collected objects from all over the place. Thank you very much to everyone for reading, and especially to everyone who has been commenting along the way!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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